Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda Takes Position in Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB)

Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new stake in shares of Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,030 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $149,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Kingfisher Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Albemarle by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Kingfisher Capital LLC now owns 14,117 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,401,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC increased its position in shares of Albemarle by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Regatta Capital Group LLC now owns 2,371 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $343,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. USCF Advisers LLC increased its holdings in Albemarle by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. USCF Advisers LLC now owns 200 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Albemarle by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 18,298 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,644,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. increased its holdings in Albemarle by 65.3% in the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 276 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. 92.87% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Albemarle Stock Performance

Shares of ALB opened at $99.55 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $11.70 billion, a PE ratio of 36.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a current ratio of 2.84, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $121.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $125.23. Albemarle Co. has a 12-month low of $98.70 and a 12-month high of $247.44.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.29 billion. Albemarle had a net margin of 4.02% and a return on equity of 14.53%. The business’s revenue was down 47.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $10.32 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Albemarle Co. will post 2.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albemarle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 1st. Investors of record on Friday, June 14th will be given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.61%. Albemarle’s payout ratio is 58.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Loop Capital decreased their price objective on Albemarle from $168.00 to $162.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Albemarle from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Albemarle from $132.00 to $124.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 13th. Vertical Research lowered Albemarle from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $145.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday, March 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Albemarle from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $165.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Mark Richard Mummert sold 843 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.53, for a total value of $114,251.79. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 6,802 shares in the company, valued at approximately $921,875.06. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Albemarle news, CAO John Clarence Barichivich III sold 1,475 shares of Albemarle stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.17, for a total value of $194,950.75. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 4,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $626,882.31. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Mark Richard Mummert sold 843 shares of Albemarle stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.53, for a total value of $114,251.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,802 shares in the company, valued at $921,875.06. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.