Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB) Shares Sold by Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lowered its holdings in Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB) by 10.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,987 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 3,142 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.’s holdings in Albemarle were worth $2,237,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ALB. Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of Albemarle by 1,400.0% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 270 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Albemarle during the third quarter worth $31,000. First Community Trust NA boosted 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 valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in Albemarle by 48.9% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 414 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. 92.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Albemarle Stock Down 4.5 %

Albemarle stock opened at $80.40 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 2.44 and a quick ratio of 1.58. Albemarle Co. has a fifty-two week low of $71.97 and a fifty-two week high of $143.19. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $94.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $93.17. The firm has a market cap of $9.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 1.58.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Albemarle news, CEO J Kent Masters sold 2,525 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.12, for a total value of $255,328.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 73,747 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,457,296.64. This represents a 3.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Albemarle from $108.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Albemarle from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. KeyCorp decreased their target price on Albemarle from $132.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Albemarle from $79.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Clarkson Capital started coverage on Albemarle in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $112.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Albemarle currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $113.95.

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.