Robeco Schweiz AG Has $28.29 Million Stake in Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB)

Robeco Schweiz AG reduced its position in Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB - Free Report) by 52.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 392,810 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 430,000 shares during the period. Robeco Schweiz AG owned about 0.33% of Albemarle worth $28,290,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in Albemarle by 340.6% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 304 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. acquired a new position in Albemarle in the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Albemarle during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Albemarle during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Allianz SE bought a new stake in shares of Albemarle during the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. 92.87% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. KeyCorp decreased their price target on Albemarle from $102.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Albemarle from $68.00 to $58.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Albemarle from $85.00 to $64.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Albemarle from $77.00 to $60.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their price target on Albemarle from $75.00 to $65.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $91.29.

Albemarle Price Performance

Shares of ALB traded down $3.20 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $71.07. The company had a trading volume of 4,090,339 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,881,012. Albemarle Corporation has a twelve month low of $49.43 and a twelve month high of $113.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 2.11 and a quick ratio of 1.26. The company's 50-day moving average is $61.18 and its 200-day moving average is $70.62. The company has a market capitalization of $8.36 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.39 and a beta of 1.63.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.18) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.62) by $0.44. Albemarle had a negative return on equity of 1.92% and a negative net margin of 22.39%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.26 EPS. Albemarle's quarterly revenue was down 20.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Albemarle Corporation will post -0.04 EPS for the current year.

Albemarle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th were issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 13th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.28%. Albemarle's dividend payout ratio is -14.57%.

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.