Natixis Advisors LLC Acquires 21,031 Shares of Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB)

Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB) by 36.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 78,864 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 21,031 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Albemarle worth $6,789,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quarry LP raised its holdings in Albemarle by 1,400.0% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 270 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 period. Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its position in shares of Albemarle by 606.5% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 325 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the period. First Community Trust NA lifted its position in shares of Albemarle by 55.0% in the 4th quarter. First Community Trust NA now owns 400 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Albemarle in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 92.87% of the company’s stock.

Albemarle Stock Performance

NYSE ALB opened at $77.05 on Friday. Albemarle Co. has a 1 year low of $67.23 and a 1 year high of $137.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The firm has a market cap of $9.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.88 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $81.88 and a 200-day moving average price of $91.07.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($1.09) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.60) by ($0.49). Albemarle had a negative return on equity of 1.72% and a negative net margin of 21.93%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Albemarle Co. will post -0.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albemarle Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Albemarle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -14.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ALB shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Albemarle from $73.00 to $68.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Clarkson Capital started coverage on shares of Albemarle in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $112.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Albemarle from $115.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Albemarle from $99.00 to $86.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Albemarle from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Albemarle presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $104.30.

About Albemarle

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.