Robeco Schweiz AG Sells 201,395 Shares of Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB)

Robeco Schweiz AG lowered its stake in shares of Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB) by 19.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 822,810 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 201,395 shares during the period. Albemarle accounts for about 1.5% of Robeco Schweiz AG’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Robeco Schweiz AG’s holdings in Albemarle were worth $70,827,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Albemarle by 1,400.0% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 270 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont raised its position in shares of Albemarle by 606.5% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 325 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. First Community Trust NA increased its position in Albemarle by 55.0% in the fourth quarter. First Community Trust NA now owns 400 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Albemarle in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in Albemarle by 48.9% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 414 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.87% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO J Kent Masters sold 2,525 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.12, for a total value of $255,328.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 73,747 shares in the company, valued at $7,457,296.64. The trade was a 3.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Albemarle Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of ALB opened at $77.60 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $85.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $92.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.12 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.93 and a beta of 1.59. Albemarle Co. has a 1-year low of $71.97 and a 1-year high of $143.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($1.09) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.60) by ($0.49). Albemarle had a negative return on equity of 1.72% and a negative net margin of 21.93%. Analysts expect that Albemarle Co. will post -0.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of Albemarle from $109.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Clarkson Capital assumed coverage on shares of Albemarle in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $112.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Albemarle from $110.00 to $105.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Albemarle from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Albemarle from $99.00 to $86.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Albemarle currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $109.68.

About Albemarle

Albemarle Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets engineered specialty chemicals worldwide. It operates through three segments: Energy Storage, Specialties and Ketjen. The Energy Storage segment offers lithium compounds, including lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide, and lithium chloride; technical services for the handling and use of reactive lithium products; and lithium-containing by-products recycling services.