Vest Financial LLC Has $76.44 Million Stock Position in Albemarle Corporation $ALB

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC trimmed its stake in Albemarle by 17%, selling 110,916 shares and ending the quarter with 540,453 shares worth about $76.44 million, making Albemarle its 13th largest holding (≈1.0% of the fund).
• Albemarle reported a quarterly EPS miss of ($0.53) versus ($0.40) consensus while beating revenue ($1.43B), and its shares were trading up about 6% to $199.72 with a market cap near $23.5 billion (52-week range $53.70–$215.71).
• Insider and market context: CEO J. Kent Masters sold 11,783 shares (~$2.01M), insiders own 0.42%, and analysts are split (13 Buy / 13 Hold / 2 Sell) with a consensus target of $178.28; Albemarle pays a $0.405 quarterly dividend (≈0.8% yield).

Vest Financial LLC trimmed its position in Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB - Free Report) by 17.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 540,453 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after selling 110,916 shares during the quarter. Albemarle comprises approximately 1.0% of Vest Financial LLC's holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Vest Financial LLC owned 0.46% of Albemarle worth $76,442,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Albemarle Trading Up 6.0%

Shares of Albemarle stock opened at $199.72 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.54 billion, a PE ratio of -34.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The company's fifty day moving average price is $177.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $150.23. Albemarle Corporation has a 52-week low of $53.70 and a 52-week high of $215.71.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.53) earnings per share (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $1.34 billion. Albemarle had a negative net margin of 10.74% and a positive return on equity of 0.41%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($1.09) EPS. On average, analysts expect that Albemarle Corporation will post 8.28 EPS for the current year.

Albemarle Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Albemarle's dividend payout ratio is presently -28.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Albemarle

In other news, CEO J Kent Masters sold 11,783 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.81, for a total value of $2,012,654.23. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 134,628 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,995,808.68. This represents a 8.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Albemarle in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley set a $189.00 target price on Albemarle in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $165.00 target price on Albemarle in a research report on Monday, February 16th. Argus lifted their target price on Albemarle from $140.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Albemarle from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $178.28.

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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