Metis Global Partners LLC Acquires 148 Shares of Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB)

Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its stake in Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,908 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Albemarle were worth $336,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of Albemarle by 1,400.0% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 270 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its stake in Albemarle by 606.5% in the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 325 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Albemarle by 50.4% during the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 394 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Albemarle by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Advisors LLC now owns 400 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, First Community Trust NA grew its holdings in shares of Albemarle by 55.0% in the 4th quarter. First Community Trust NA now owns 400 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. 92.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Albemarle Price Performance

NYSE:ALB opened at $74.21 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $8.72 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.63 and a beta of 1.70. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $84.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $92.02. Albemarle Co. has a one year low of $67.23 and a one year high of $137.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.19.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 1.72% and a negative net margin of 21.93%. Equities analysts expect that Albemarle Co. will post -0.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Albemarle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.18%. Albemarle’s payout ratio is presently -14.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on ALB. Citigroup reduced their target price on Albemarle from $115.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Albemarle from $110.00 to $105.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Clarkson Capital initiated 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. UBS Group lowered their price objective 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Albemarle from $133.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $109.68.

Albemarle Company 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.