Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB) Shares Purchased by Caprock Group LLC

Caprock Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB) by 56.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,619 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 1,306 shares during the quarter. Caprock Group LLC’s holdings in Albemarle were worth $313,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quarry LP lifted its position 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 in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont raised 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 acquiring an additional 279 shares during the period. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in Albemarle during the third quarter valued at $31,000. First Community Trust NA grew its position in shares of Albemarle by 55.0% in the fourth quarter. First Community Trust NA now owns 400 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in shares of Albemarle by 48.9% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 414 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.87% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Albemarle

In other Albemarle news, CEO J Kent Masters sold 2,525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.12, for a total transaction of $255,328.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 73,747 shares in the company, valued at $7,457,296.64. This represents a 3.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on ALB shares. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Albemarle from $79.00 to $103.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Truist Financial assumed coverage on Albemarle in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $96.00 target price on the stock. KeyCorp dropped their price target on Albemarle from $132.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Clarkson Capital initiated coverage on Albemarle in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $112.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Albemarle from $108.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $113.95.

Albemarle Price Performance

NYSE:ALB opened at $78.99 on Friday. Albemarle Co. has a 52 week low of $71.97 and a 52 week high of $143.19. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $92.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $92.92. The company has a market capitalization of $9.28 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 2.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

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.