Albemarle Corporation $ALB Stock Acquired by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. grew its position in shares of Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) by 7,328.6% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 410,874 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after buying an additional 405,343 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Albemarle were worth $43,462,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ethic Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Albemarle by 233.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 71,694 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $7,584,000 after purchasing an additional 50,167 shares during the period. Asset Dedication LLC grew its position in Albemarle by 358.1% during the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 1,388 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $147,000 after buying an additional 1,085 shares during the period. Alps Advisors Inc. grew its position in Albemarle by 6.8% during the third quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 272,110 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $31,626,000 after buying an additional 17,359 shares during the period. CenterBook Partners LP grew its position in Albemarle by 38.7% during the third quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 23,021 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,435,000 after buying an additional 6,425 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Albemarle by 182.0% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 7,104 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $751,000 after buying an additional 4,585 shares in the last quarter. 92.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Albemarle Price Performance

Shares of NYSE ALB opened at $99.03 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $107.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $147.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 2.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. Albemarle Corporation has a 52 week low of $89.77 and a 52 week high of $221.00.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.52 billion. Albemarle had a net margin of 10.40% and a return on equity of 14.91%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($0.19) earnings per share. Albemarle’s quarterly revenue was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Albemarle Corporation will post 11.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albemarle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 18th will be paid a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 18th. Albemarle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.61%.

Albemarle News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Albemarle this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Albemarle reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $2.58 per share, ahead of estimates, on $1.55 billion in revenue—also above forecasts and up 18.8% year over year. Higher lithium pricing, strong demand, cost reductions and improved Specialties profits supported the results. Albemarle Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Cost Discipline and Lithium Demand
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank maintained its “Sector Outperform” rating and $190 price target, estimating EPS of $11.64 for FY2026 and $14.15 for FY2027—above the cited current-year consensus estimate. Albemarle analyst coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Truist reaffirmed its “buy” rating, though it lowered its price target to $170 from $185. Truist rating information
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC cut its target to $119 from $129 but retained an “outperform” rating, reflecting a more cautious valuation alongside continued optimism about the shares. RBC rating information
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays lowered its target to $95 from $109 and kept an “equal weight” rating, pointing to a less favorable near-term risk-reward view. Lithium prices remain volatile, a potential source of uncertainty for earnings. Barclays rating information

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on ALB shares. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed a “reduce” rating and issued a $161.00 price target on shares of Albemarle in a report on Monday, August 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Albemarle from $160.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of Albemarle in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Albemarle from $175.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Albemarle from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Albemarle currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $177.64.

Albemarle Profile

Albemarle Corporation is a specialty chemicals company that produces lithium, bromine and refining catalysts. Its products serve industries including energy storage, transportation, electronics, petroleum refining and pharmaceuticals.

The company supplies lithium compounds used in rechargeable batteries and other applications. It also makes bromine-based products for uses such as flame retardants and water treatment, along with catalysts used in refining petroleum.

Albemarle traces its history to 1887 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.