Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. Has $3.37 Million Stock Position in Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB)

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its stake in shares of Albemarle Co. (NYSE:ALB) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 39,168 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,487 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s holdings in Albemarle were worth $3,372,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in ALB. Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Albemarle by 1,400.0% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 270 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its position in shares of Albemarle by 606.5% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 325 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank bought a new position in shares of Albemarle during the third quarter worth $31,000. First Community Trust NA grew its holdings in shares of Albemarle by 55.0% in the 4th quarter. First Community Trust NA now owns 400 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Albemarle in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors own 92.87% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Albemarle

In other news, CEO J Kent Masters sold 2,525 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.12, for a total value of $255,328.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 73,747 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,457,296.64. This trade represents a 3.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Albemarle Stock Performance

ALB opened at $77.30 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $9.09 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.59. The business’s fifty day moving average is $91.91 and its 200-day moving average is $92.81. Albemarle Co. has a 52-week low of $71.97 and a 52-week high of $143.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 2.44.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ALB has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI cut Albemarle from an “outperform” rating to an “inline” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Albemarle from $108.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Albemarle from $79.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. KeyCorp cut their price target on shares of Albemarle from $132.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on Albemarle from $110.00 to $105.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Albemarle currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $113.95.

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.