Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) Shares Unloaded Rep. Julie Johnson

Representative Julie Johnson (D-Texas) recently sold shares of Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB). In a filing disclosed on March 12th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Albemarle stock on February 12th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “MERRILL LYNCH TAX EFFICIENT CORE” account.

Representative Julie Johnson also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) on 2/25/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) on 2/25/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE:BK) on 2/24/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) on 2/24/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of The PNC Financial Services Group (NYSE:PNC) on 2/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Progressive (NYSE:PGR) on 2/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) on 2/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF) on 2/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF) on 2/14/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Progressive (NYSE:PGR) on 2/14/2025.

Albemarle Trading Up 4.2 %

Shares of NYSE ALB opened at $75.41 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.95. Albemarle Co. has a 52-week low of $67.23 and a 52-week high of $137.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $82.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $91.38. The stock has a market cap of $8.87 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.73 and a beta of 1.70.

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

Albemarle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Albemarle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -14.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ALB shares. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Albemarle from $103.00 to $92.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Albemarle from $115.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Clarkson Capital started coverage on shares of Albemarle in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $112.00 price objective for the company. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Albemarle from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Albemarle from $150.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Albemarle presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $107.05.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albemarle

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Albemarle by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,594,499 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,256,294,000 after purchasing an additional 359,014 shares in the last quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA grew its stake in Albemarle by 0.5% during the third quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 3,833,984 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $363,117,000 after acquiring an additional 20,930 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Albemarle by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,795,891 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $240,044,000 after acquiring an additional 53,985 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in Albemarle by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 1,990,762 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $171,365,000 after acquiring an additional 25,207 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Earnest Partners LLC grew its stake in Albemarle by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 1,432,153 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $123,280,000 after acquiring an additional 8,243 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.87% of the company’s stock.

About Representative Johnson

Julie Johnson (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2025. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Johnson (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Julie Johnson earned a B.A. in history and government from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987 and a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 1991. Johnson’s career experience includes working as an attorney.

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.