18,662 Albemarle Corporation $ALB Shares Acquired by New Mexico Educational Retirement Board

New Mexico Educational Retirement Board lifted its holdings in shares of Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) by 316.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,562 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,662 shares during the period. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board’s holdings in Albemarle were worth $2,598,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Primecap Management Co. CA purchased a new stake in Albemarle in the 2nd quarter valued at $358,101,000. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in Albemarle by 69.7% in the third quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 1,436,117 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $151,912,000 after purchasing an additional 589,787 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new position in Albemarle in the second quarter valued at $131,049,000. Amundi increased its stake in Albemarle by 40.5% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 827,874 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $111,784,000 after purchasing an additional 238,774 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Albemarle in the second quarter valued at about $103,268,000. 92.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Albemarle Stock Up 1.3%

ALB stock opened at $96.14 on Thursday. Albemarle Corporation has a one year low of $89.77 and a one year high of $221.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.35 billion, a PE ratio of 23.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 2.34. The company has a fifty day moving average of $105.23 and a 200-day moving average of $146.54.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.52 billion. Albemarle had a net margin of 10.40% and a return on equity of 14.91%. The business’s revenue was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($0.19) earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Albemarle Corporation will post 10.75 EPS for the current year.

Albemarle Dividend Announcement

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

Key Headlines Impacting Albemarle

Investors following ALB have been watching these headlines:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target for ALB, signaling greater potential upside in its valuation, though the reported headline did not give the new target. Read more about Citigroup’s price target increase
• Negative Sentiment: Scotiabank cut its EPS forecasts to $10.36 for FY2026 from $11.64 and to $9.98 for FY2027 from $14.15. The lower projections may weigh on sentiment, although the bank maintained its “Sector Outperform” rating and $165 price target. Read more about analyst estimates for Albemarle
• Negative Sentiment: UBS Group and Morgan Stanley each cut their price targets for Albemarle, adding to concerns about the stock’s near-term upside. The reports did not specify the revised targets in the headlines. Read more about UBS’s price target cut Read more about Morgan Stanley’s price target cut

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 target price (down from $185.00) on shares of Albemarle in a research note on Friday, November 6th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of Albemarle in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Weiss Ratings raised Albemarle from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 4th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Albemarle from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Albemarle from $129.00 to $119.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 6th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.05.

Albemarle Profile

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.