Vanguard Group Inc. Has $1.26 Billion Stock Holdings in Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB)

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 14,594,499 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 359,014 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 0.12% of Albemarle worth $1,256,294,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quarry LP lifted its holdings 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 valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in Albemarle by 340.6% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 304 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont grew its position in Albemarle by 606.5% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 325 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. First Community Trust NA grew its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Albemarle in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.87% of the company’s stock.

Albemarle Trading Down 1.3 %

NYSE ALB opened at $74.75 on Friday. Albemarle Co. has a 12 month low of $67.23 and a 12 month high of $137.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $80.35 and a 200-day moving average of $90.83. The company has a market cap of $8.79 billion, a PE ratio of -6.67 and a beta of 1.70.

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

Albemarle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.17%. Albemarle’s dividend payout ratio is -14.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI cut Albemarle from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Albemarle from $150.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Clarkson Capital began coverage on shares of Albemarle in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $112.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho decreased their target price on Albemarle from $90.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Albemarle has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $104.30.

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.