Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) Price Target Lowered to $60.00 at Robert W. Baird

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) had its price objective lowered by Robert W. Baird from $77.00 to $60.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the specialty chemicals company’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Clarkson Capital initiated coverage on Albemarle in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $112.00 target price on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on Albemarle from $109.00 to $105.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Albemarle from $80.00 to $60.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Evercore ISI downgraded shares of Albemarle from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on Albemarle from $86.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $96.05.

Albemarle Price Performance

Shares of ALB stock opened at $54.00 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $72.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $88.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The company has a market capitalization of $6.35 billion, a PE ratio of -4.82 and a beta of 1.59. Albemarle has a 12 month low of $49.43 and a 12 month high of $137.50.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) last issued its quarterly 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 net margin of 21.93% and a negative return on equity of 1.72%. Analysts predict that Albemarle will post -0.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Albemarle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.00%. Albemarle’s payout ratio is -14.46%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Albemarle

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALB. MML Investors Services LLC boosted its position in Albemarle by 21.9% during the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 22,115 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,094,000 after purchasing an additional 3,968 shares during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its position in Albemarle by 50.4% in the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 394 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Albemarle in the 3rd quarter worth $267,000. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Albemarle by 1.5% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 18,457 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,748,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the period. Finally, Inspire Trust Co. N.A. increased its holdings in Albemarle by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 11,120 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,053,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.87% of the company’s stock.

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.