Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) Stock Unloaded Rep. Julie Johnson

Representative Julie Johnson (D-Texas) recently sold shares of Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB). In a filing disclosed on March 12th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Albemarle stock on February 12th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “MERRILL LYNCH TAX EFFICIENT CORE” account.

Representative Julie Johnson also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) on 2/25/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Union Pacific (NYSE:UNP) on 2/25/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE:BK) on 2/24/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) on 2/24/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of The PNC Financial Services Group (NYSE:PNC) on 2/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Progressive (NYSE:PGR) on 2/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) on 2/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF) on 2/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF) on 2/14/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Progressive (NYSE:PGR) on 2/14/2025.

Albemarle Stock Performance

ALB opened at $72.38 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.95. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $83.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $91.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.51 billion, a PE ratio of -6.46 and a beta of 1.70. Albemarle Co. has a 52-week low of $67.23 and a 52-week high of $137.50.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($1.09) earnings per share 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, sell-side analysts expect that Albemarle Co. will post -0.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Albemarle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.24%. Albemarle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -14.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on ALB shares. KeyCorp decreased their target price on Albemarle from $127.00 to $122.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Albemarle from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Albemarle from $109.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Albemarle from $96.00 to $85.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Albemarle from $73.00 to $68.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $107.05.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH purchased a new stake in Albemarle during the 4th quarter worth about $837,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in Albemarle during the 4th quarter worth about $9,728,000. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in Albemarle during the 4th quarter worth about $1,997,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Albemarle during the 4th quarter worth about $486,000. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank increased its stake in Albemarle by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 39,657 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $3,414,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.87% of the company’s stock.

About Representative Johnson

Julie Johnson (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2025. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Johnson (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Julie Johnson earned a B.A. in history and government from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987 and a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 1991. Johnson’s career experience includes working as an attorney.

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.