33,676 Shares in Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB) Bought by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. purchased a new stake in Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 33,676 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $2,905,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Albemarle by 48.9% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 414 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. First Community Trust NA lifted its holdings in Albemarle by 55.0% in the fourth quarter. First Community Trust NA now owns 400 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its position in Albemarle by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 3,908 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $336,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Albemarle by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 4,655 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its stake in shares of Albemarle by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 2,982 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $257,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the period. 92.87% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Albemarle from $133.00 to $114.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI cut Albemarle from an "outperform" rating to an "inline" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Albemarle from $109.00 to $105.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Albemarle from $73.00 to $68.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, KeyCorp cut their price target on shares of Albemarle from $122.00 to $102.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Albemarle currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $96.05.

Albemarle Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:ALB opened at $57.73 on Friday. Albemarle Co. has a 52-week low of $49.43 and a 52-week high of $137.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The business has a fifty day moving average of $68.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $85.60. The stock has a market cap of $6.79 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.15 and a beta of 1.59.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB - Get Free Report) 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%. On average, research analysts expect that Albemarle Co. will post -0.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Albemarle Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. Albemarle's payout ratio is -14.46%.

Albemarle 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.

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