Quent Capital LLC Buys 6,549 Shares of Albemarle Corporation $ALB

Key Points

• Quent Capital LLC bought an additional 6,549 shares of Albemarle in Q4 — a 5,281.5% increase that brought its total to 6,673 shares worth about $944,000.
• CEO J. Kent Masters sold 11,783 shares on March 10 at roughly $170.81 each for about $2.01 million, reducing his ownership by 8.05%; insiders now own 0.42% of the company.
• Albemarle missed Q4 EPS (loss of $0.53 vs. estimate -$0.40) while topping revenue expectations, and the stock carries a consensus "Hold" rating with an average target of $177.48; the company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.405 (0.9% yield).

Quent Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB - Free Report) by 5,281.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,673 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,549 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC's holdings in Albemarle were worth $944,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Strategic Advocates LLC purchased a new stake in Albemarle in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. MH & Associates Securities Management Corp ADV purchased a new stake in Albemarle during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. BOKF NA boosted its position in Albemarle by 5,771.4% during the third quarter. BOKF NA now owns 411 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 404 shares during the period. Cromwell Holdings LLC boosted its position in Albemarle by 36.8% during the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 413 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Albemarle by 536.7% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 573 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 483 shares in the last quarter. 92.87% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Albemarle

In other Albemarle news, CEO J Kent Masters sold 11,783 shares of Albemarle stock in a transaction that occurred 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. The trade was a 8.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Albemarle Price Performance

Albemarle stock opened at $188.10 on Friday. Albemarle Corporation has a 52 week low of $53.70 and a 52 week high of $215.71. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $176.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $149.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market cap of $22.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -32.71, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.43.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.53) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.40) by ($0.13). The business had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.34 billion. Albemarle had a negative net margin of 10.74% and a positive return on equity of 0.41%. The business's revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($1.09) EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Albemarle Corporation will post 8.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albemarle Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. Albemarle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -28.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on ALB shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Albemarle from $145.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Albemarle from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Albemarle from $216.00 to $222.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Morgan Stanley set a $189.00 target price on Albemarle in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on Albemarle from $156.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $177.48.

Albemarle News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Albemarle this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target to $245 and kept an Outperform rating, reinforcing upside potential from re-rating and fundamentals. RBC price target raise to $245
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded ALB to a Rank #2 (Buy), which can attract momentum and retail flows into the stock. Zacks upgrade to Buy
• Positive Sentiment: ALB has shown strong recent momentum (about +14% over one week), which supports continued buying interest from momentum investors. ALB up 13.89% in one week
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is broadly positive (many buy/outperform ratings and a median price target near $207), giving a constructive medium-term backdrop but mixed near-term signals. Analyst coverage and targets summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative analysis vs. peers (e.g., SQM) highlights Albemarle's exposure to recovering lithium demand and capacity ramps; useful context but not an immediate catalyst. ALB vs SQM comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn downgraded Albemarle to Neutral from Buy, warning that improving spot lithium prices may not translate immediately into company margins — a key near-term headwind ahead of Q1 results. Redburn downgrade note
• Negative Sentiment: Market headlines report the stock slipping amid broader sector volatility and profit-taking; upcoming Q1 earnings (scheduled for after the close on May 6) raises the risk of positioning-driven swings. ALB sinks as market gains

About Albemarle

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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