Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Cuts Stake in Albemarle Corporation $ALB

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH cut its stake in Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) by 36.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 69,444 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 39,192 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in Albemarle were worth $9,828,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Albemarle during the third quarter worth approximately $138,723,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Albemarle by 22,047.4% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 713,812 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $44,613,000 after purchasing an additional 710,589 shares during the last quarter. Samlyn Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Albemarle in the 3rd quarter valued at $47,088,000. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec purchased a new stake in shares of Albemarle during the 3rd quarter valued at $41,239,000. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Albemarle by 1,278.8% during the 3rd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 440,608 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $35,725,000 after buying an additional 408,652 shares during the period. 92.87% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Albemarle Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE ALB opened at $188.10 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $176.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $149.50. The company has a market cap of $22.18 billion, a P/E ratio of -32.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.43. Albemarle Corporation has a 12-month low of $53.70 and a 12-month high of $215.71. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.53) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.40) by ($0.13). Albemarle had a positive return on equity of 0.41% and a negative net margin of 10.74%.The company had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.34 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($1.09) EPS. Albemarle’s quarterly revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Albemarle Corporation will post 8.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albemarle Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. Albemarle’s payout ratio is presently -28.17%.

More Albemarle News

Here are the key news stories impacting Albemarle this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target to $245 and kept an Outperform rating, reinforcing upside potential from re-rating and fundamentals. RBC price target raise to $245
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded ALB to a Rank #2 (Buy), which can attract momentum and retail flows into the stock. Zacks upgrade to Buy
• Positive Sentiment: ALB has shown strong recent momentum (about +14% over one week), which supports continued buying interest from momentum investors. ALB up 13.89% in one week
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is broadly positive (many buy/outperform ratings and a median price target near $207), giving a constructive medium-term backdrop but mixed near-term signals. Analyst coverage and targets summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative analysis vs. peers (e.g., SQM) highlights Albemarle’s exposure to recovering lithium demand and capacity ramps; useful context but not an immediate catalyst. ALB vs SQM comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn downgraded Albemarle to Neutral from Buy, warning that improving spot lithium prices may not translate immediately into company margins — a key near-term headwind ahead of Q1 results. Redburn downgrade note
• Negative Sentiment: Market headlines report the stock slipping amid broader sector volatility and profit-taking; upcoming Q1 earnings (scheduled for after the close on May 6) raises the risk of positioning-driven swings. ALB sinks as market gains

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ALB has been the topic of several research reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered Albemarle from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $188.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $165.00 price target on Albemarle in a research report on Monday, February 16th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Albemarle from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Albemarle from $216.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $189.00 price objective on Albemarle in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $177.48.

Insider Activity at Albemarle

In other news, CEO J Kent Masters sold 11,783 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.81, for a total value of $2,012,654.23. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 134,628 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,995,808.68. This represents a 8.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Albemarle Profile

Albemarle Corporation is a leading global specialty chemicals company primarily engaged in the production and distribution of lithium, bromine, and catalysts. Its lithium segment supplies key components used in rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles, portable electronics, and grid storage systems. The company’s bromine specialty products serve a wide range of industries, including oil and gas drilling fluids, fire safety solutions, and water treatment. In its catalysts division, Albemarle provides products for petroleum refining, chemical processing and emissions control.

Founded in 1994 as a spin-off from Ethyl Corporation, Albemarle has grown through strategic acquisitions and capacity expansions to become one of the world’s foremost chemical producers.