Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC Purchases Shares of 1,400 Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB)

Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 1,400 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $121,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quarry LP boosted its stake in Albemarle by 1,400.0% during 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 during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont raised its holdings in shares of Albemarle by 606.5% during 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 in the last quarter. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Albemarle during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. First Community Trust NA boosted its position in shares of Albemarle by 55.0% during the 4th quarter. First Community Trust NA now owns 400 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Albemarle in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.87% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO J Kent Masters sold 2,525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Clarkson Capital began coverage on shares of Albemarle in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $112.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Albemarle from $133.00 to $114.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on Albemarle from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Albemarle from $103.00 to $92.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on Albemarle from $109.00 to $105.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Albemarle presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $109.68.

Albemarle Price Performance

Shares of ALB stock opened at $81.26 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.55 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.26, a P/E/G ratio of 11.64 and a beta of 1.59. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $86.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $92.05. Albemarle Co. has a one year low of $71.97 and a one year high of $143.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.19.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($1.09) earnings per share (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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Albemarle Co. will post 0.45 EPS for the current year.

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.