Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC Has $725,000 Holdings in Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB)

Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its position in Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB) by 5.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,501 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 286 shares during the period. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC’s holdings in Albemarle were worth $725,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. USCF Advisers LLC boosted its position in shares of Albemarle by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. USCF Advisers LLC now owns 200 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new stake in Albemarle during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in Albemarle by 2,942.9% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 213 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Albemarle by 21,400.0% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 215 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Albemarle in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. 92.87% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Albemarle Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ALB opened at $95.52 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.91, a current ratio of 2.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $117.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $123.53. The company has a market cap of $11.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.73, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.61. Albemarle Co. has a twelve month low of $92.29 and a twelve month high of $247.44.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.35 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.29 billion. Albemarle had a return on equity of 14.53% and a net margin of 4.02%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 47.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $10.32 EPS. Research analysts predict that Albemarle Co. will post 2.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Albemarle Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. Albemarle’s dividend payout ratio is currently 58.18%.

Insider Transactions at Albemarle

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on ALB. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Albemarle from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Albemarle from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Berenberg Bank raised Albemarle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $130.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Albemarle from $122.00 to $95.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Albemarle from $112.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Albemarle currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $155.78.

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.