Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Sells 5,729 Shares of Albemarle Corporation $ALB

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management cut its Albemarle stake by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 5,729 shares and ending with 181,273 shares valued at about $26.1 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: several firms raised price targets, but the stock’s overall consensus rating is still Hold with an average target price of $189.04.
• Albemarle recently reported better-than-expected Q1 results, with EPS of $2.95 versus $1.24 expected and revenue of $1.43 billion, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.405 per share.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lessened its holdings in shares of Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB - Free Report) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 181,273 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 5,729 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.15% of Albemarle worth $26,091,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ALB. Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new stake in Albemarle in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. MH & Associates Securities Management Corp ADV acquired a new stake in Albemarle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. BOKF NA raised its position in Albemarle by 5,771.4% in the 3rd quarter. BOKF NA now owns 411 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 404 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Albemarle by 536.7% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 573 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 483 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in Albemarle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 92.87% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Albemarle from a "sell (d-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Albemarle from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Berenberg Bank set a $153.00 target price on Albemarle in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Zacks Research lowered Albemarle from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Albemarle from $216.00 to $222.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $189.04.

Insider Buying and Selling at Albemarle

In other Albemarle news, CEO J Kent Masters sold 11,783 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.81, for a total transaction of $2,012,654.23. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 134,628 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,995,808.68. The trade was a 8.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Albemarle News Roundup

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

Albemarle Stock Up 2.7%

NYSE:ALB opened at $203.72 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -59.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.36. Albemarle Corporation has a twelve month low of $53.70 and a twelve month high of $221.00. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $179.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $154.41. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 2.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.34 billion. Albemarle had a positive return on equity of 5.22% and a negative net margin of 5.00%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 32.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.18) EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Albemarle Corporation will post 8.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albemarle Announces Dividend

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

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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