Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group Sells 2,021 Shares of Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB)

Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group lowered its position in shares of Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB) by 13.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,536 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 2,021 shares during the quarter. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group’s holdings in Albemarle were worth $1,079,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ALB. Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of Albemarle by 1,400.0% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 270 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of Albemarle by 340.6% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 304 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its stake in shares of Albemarle by 606.5% during the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 325 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. First Community Trust NA increased its stake in shares of Albemarle by 55.0% during the 4th 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. Finally, Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Albemarle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 92.87% of the company’s stock.

Albemarle Stock Performance

NYSE ALB opened at $72.84 on Thursday. Albemarle Co. has a 52-week low of $67.23 and a 52-week high of $137.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.95. The company has a market capitalization of $8.56 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.50 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a fifty day moving average of $83.20 and a 200-day moving average of $91.61.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($1.09) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.60) by ($0.49). Albemarle had a negative return on equity of 1.72% and a negative net margin of 21.93%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Albemarle Co. will post -0.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albemarle Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Albemarle’s dividend payout ratio is currently -14.46%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ALB. Clarkson Capital began coverage on shares of Albemarle in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $112.00 price target for the company. KeyCorp decreased their price target on shares of Albemarle from $127.00 to $122.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of Albemarle from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Albemarle from $150.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Albemarle from $115.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $107.05.

Albemarle Profile

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.