Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB) Stock Position Increased by Aquatic Capital Management LLC

Aquatic Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB - Free Report) by 294.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 187,072 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock after buying an additional 139,672 shares during the quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC owned about 0.16% of Albemarle worth $16,103,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Albemarle by 340.6% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 304 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its holdings in Albemarle by 606.5% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 325 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. First Community Trust NA boosted its holdings in Albemarle by 55.0% in the 4th quarter. First Community Trust NA now owns 400 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd purchased a new stake in Albemarle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Albemarle in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.87% of the company's stock.

Albemarle Stock Performance

Shares of ALB traded up $0.92 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $59.47. The stock had a trading volume of 2,825,827 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,736,184. The company has a market cap of $7.00 billion, a PE ratio of -5.31 and a beta of 1.59. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $67.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $85.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Albemarle Co. has a fifty-two week low of $49.43 and a fifty-two week high of $137.50.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($1.09) 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, equities analysts expect that Albemarle Co. will post -0.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Albemarle Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Albemarle's dividend payout ratio is presently -14.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ALB has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Albemarle from $85.00 to $64.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Albemarle from $77.00 to $60.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Albemarle from $109.00 to $105.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Clarkson Capital assumed coverage on Albemarle in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $112.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Albemarle from $85.00 to $65.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Albemarle currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $96.05.

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.