Albemarle Corporation $ALB Shares Sold by Chiron Capital Management LLC

Chiron Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) by 21.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,311 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 3,398 shares during the quarter. Chiron Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Albemarle were worth $998,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ALB. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Albemarle by 2.0% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,954,331 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $184,782,000 after purchasing an additional 59,104 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Albemarle in the 3rd quarter worth about $138,723,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Albemarle by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,475,832 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $119,710,000 after buying an additional 52,698 shares during the last quarter. PGGM Investments grew its holdings in Albemarle by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 1,185,005 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $96,080,000 after buying an additional 115,081 shares during the period. Finally, Empower Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Albemarle by 11.4% during the 2nd quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 866,575 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $54,308,000 after acquiring an additional 88,457 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.87% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO J Kent Masters sold 11,783 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.81, for a total transaction of $2,012,654.23. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company’s stock.

Key Albemarle News

Here are the key news stories impacting Albemarle this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company confirmed a quarterly dividend of $0.405 per share (ex-dividend March 13), supporting income-focused demand and signaling confidence in cash flow. Albemarle Declares Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Board refresh and strategic moves: Albemarle added two finance executives to the board, launched up to $500M of debt tender offers, redeemed 2027 notes and announced a planned sale of a controlling interest in its Ketjen business — actions that can improve capital structure and focus the portfolio. Board refresh, Ketjen sale and debt moves
• Positive Sentiment: Several sell-side analysts remain constructive or raised targets (UBS, Jefferies, Argus), leaving an overall “Moderate Buy” consensus and supporting upside potential if lithium demand recovers. MarketBeat analyst summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks pieces note mixed short-term moves (e.g., ALB was up ~3.1% since the last earnings report in one write-up) and provide context rather than new fundamental news — useful for sentiment but not a direct catalyst. Why Is Albemarle Up 3.1% Since Last Earnings?
• Negative Sentiment: CEO J. Kent Masters sold 11,783 shares (~$2.0M) on March 10, reducing his stake ~8% — insider selling often spooks investors and can add near-term downward pressure. Insider sale filing
• Negative Sentiment: Recent quarterly results (Feb. 11) showed an EPS miss (?$0.53 vs. est. ?$0.40) despite revenue beating; negative net margin and continued quarterly losses keep near-term profitability under scrutiny. Earnings and financials summary
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks and MarketBeat noted the stock has declined more than the broader market in recent sessions, reflecting the combined effect of the earnings miss, insider selling and broader commodity/EV cycle sentiment. ALB sees dip vs. market

Albemarle Stock Down 3.6%

ALB opened at $158.00 on Friday. Albemarle Corporation has a 1 year low of $49.43 and a 1 year high of $206.00. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $170.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $128.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 2.23. The company has a market cap of $18.59 billion, a PE ratio of -27.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.43.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.53) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.40) by ($0.13). Albemarle had a negative net margin of 10.74% and a positive return on equity of 0.41%. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.34 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($1.09) earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Albemarle Corporation will post -0.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Albemarle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Albemarle’s payout ratio is presently -28.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on ALB shares. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Albemarle from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Albemarle from $156.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. HSBC raised shares of Albemarle from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Albemarle from $200.00 to $216.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $153.00 price objective on shares of Albemarle in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.24.

Albemarle Company 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.