Albemarle Corporation $ALB Shares Sold by Kailix Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Kailix Advisors LLC cut its Albemarle stake by 74.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 108,000 shares and leaving it with 36,500 shares worth about $5.16 million.
• Albemarle reported a strong Q1 earnings beat, posting EPS of $2.95 versus $1.24 expected and revenue of $1.43 billion, helped by stronger lithium pricing and volumes.
• Analyst sentiment has improved, with several firms raising price targets and Albemarle declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.405 per share payable July 1.

Kailix Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB - Free Report) by 74.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 36,500 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 108,000 shares during the quarter. Albemarle makes up about 5.8% of Kailix Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Kailix Advisors LLC's holdings in Albemarle were worth $5,163,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd increased its position in Albemarle by 23.5% during the 4th quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 6,692 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $947,000 after purchasing an additional 1,273 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Albemarle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $309,000. Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC acquired a new position in Albemarle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $261,000. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its position in Albemarle by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 43,138 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $6,101,000 after purchasing an additional 1,938 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chesapeake Capital Corp IL acquired a new position in Albemarle during the 4th quarter worth approximately $391,000. 92.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Albemarle

In other news, CEO J Kent Masters sold 11,783 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.81, for a total transaction of $2,012,654.23. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 134,628 shares in the company, valued at $22,995,808.68. This represents a 8.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Albemarle Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE ALB opened at $203.72 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 2.07. Albemarle Corporation has a 52-week low of $53.70 and a 52-week high of $221.00. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $179.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $154.41. The stock has a market cap of $24.02 billion, a P/E ratio of -59.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.36.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $1.71. Albemarle had a negative net margin of 5.00% and a positive return on equity of 5.22%. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.18) earnings per share. Albemarle's revenue for the quarter was up 32.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Albemarle Corporation will post 8.72 EPS for the current year.

Albemarle Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 12th will be given a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 12th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Albemarle's dividend payout ratio is -47.51%.

Key Stories Impacting Albemarle

Here are the key news stories impacting Albemarle this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target on Albemarle to $225 from $210, suggesting further upside potential even though the rating remained neutral. Benzinga report on Citigroup target hike
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analysts increased price targets this week, including Wells Fargo, Robert W. Baird, and Mizuho, signaling improving sentiment toward Albemarle’s outlook. Tickerreport.com
• Positive Sentiment: Albemarle beat Q1 estimates with EPS of $2.95 versus $1.24 expected, while revenue also topped forecasts, driven by stronger lithium pricing and volumes. Zacks value-stock article
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage around the earnings call highlighted strong momentum, reinforcing the view that Albemarle’s operating trends improved meaningfully in the quarter. TipRanks earnings call summary
• Neutral Sentiment: One article compared Albemarle with LyondellBasell from a value-investing perspective, but it was more of a relative valuation discussion than a direct catalyst. Zacks comparison article

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Albemarle from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Albemarle from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Evercore upped their price target on shares of Albemarle from $100.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Albemarle from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Albemarle from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $189.04.

Albemarle Profile

Albemarle Corporation is a leading global specialty chemicals company primarily engaged in the production and distribution of lithium, bromine, and catalysts. Its lithium segment supplies key components used in rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles, portable electronics, and grid storage systems. The company's bromine specialty products serve a wide range of industries, including oil and gas drilling fluids, fire safety solutions, and water treatment. In its catalysts division, Albemarle provides products for petroleum refining, chemical processing and emissions control.

Founded in 1994 as a spin-off from Ethyl Corporation, Albemarle has grown through strategic acquisitions and capacity expansions to become one of the world's foremost chemical producers.

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