Albemarle Corporation $ALB Stock Position Boosted by University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co.

University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. boosted its position in shares of Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) by 3,416.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,951 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,668 shares during the period. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Albemarle were worth $1,053,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Primecap Management Co. CA acquired a new position in shares of Albemarle during the second quarter worth about $358,101,000. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Albemarle by 69.7% during the third quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 1,436,117 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $151,912,000 after buying an additional 589,787 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in Albemarle by 78.5% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 730,745 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $131,191,000 after buying an additional 321,400 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in Albemarle in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $131,049,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its position in Albemarle by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 652,674 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $117,178,000 after buying an additional 4,374 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.87% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on ALB. Barclays cut their target price on Albemarle from $109.00 to $95.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Albemarle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Albemarle from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 9th. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $170.00 price objective (down from $185.00) on shares of Albemarle in a research report on Friday. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Albemarle from $175.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Albemarle currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $177.64.

Albemarle Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ALB opened at $99.03 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 2.34 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The business has a 50-day moving average of $107.59 and a 200-day moving average of $147.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.92, a PEG ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.34. Albemarle Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $89.77 and a fifty-two week high of $221.00.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.05. Albemarle had a return on equity of 14.91% and a net margin of 10.40%. The business had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.19) earnings per share. Albemarle’s revenue was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Albemarle Corporation will post 11.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albemarle Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.41 per share. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 18th. Albemarle’s payout ratio is presently 39.61%.

Key Stories Impacting Albemarle

Here are the key news stories impacting Albemarle this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Albemarle reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $2.58 per share, ahead of estimates, on $1.55 billion in revenue—also above forecasts and up 18.8% year over year. Higher lithium pricing, strong demand, cost reductions and improved Specialties profits supported the results. Albemarle Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Cost Discipline and Lithium Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank maintained its “Sector Outperform” rating and $190 price target, estimating EPS of $11.64 for FY2026 and $14.15 for FY2027—above the cited current-year consensus estimate. Albemarle analyst coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Truist reaffirmed its “buy” rating, though it lowered its price target to $170 from $185. Truist rating information
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC cut its target to $119 from $129 but retained an “outperform” rating, reflecting a more cautious valuation alongside continued optimism about the shares. RBC rating information
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays lowered its target to $95 from $109 and kept an “equal weight” rating, pointing to a less favorable near-term risk-reward view. Lithium prices remain volatile, a potential source of uncertainty for earnings. Barclays rating information

About Albemarle

Albemarle Corporation is a specialty chemicals company that produces lithium, bromine and refining catalysts. Its products serve industries including energy storage, transportation, electronics, petroleum refining and pharmaceuticals.

The company supplies lithium compounds used in rechargeable batteries and other applications. It also makes bromine-based products for uses such as flame retardants and water treatment, along with catalysts used in refining petroleum.

Albemarle traces its history to 1887 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.