Smithfield Trust Co Trims Stake in Albemarle Corporation $ALB

Posted by Stanley Muller on May 27th, 2026

Smithfield Trust Co lowered its position in Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB – Free Report) by 93.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 748 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 10,360 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co’s holdings in Albemarle were worth $106,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. MH & Associates Securities Management Corp ADV bought a new position in shares of Albemarle in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Albemarle in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Albemarle in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Strategic Advocates LLC bought a new position in shares of Albemarle in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Finally, Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new position in shares of Albemarle in the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.87% of the company’s stock.

Albemarle Trading Up 1.9%

NYSE ALB opened at $174.78 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 2.07. The company has a market capitalization of $20.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -51.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 1.36. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $183.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $162.50. Albemarle Corporation has a one year low of $53.70 and a one year high of $221.00.

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $1.71. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.34 billion. Albemarle had a negative net margin of 5.00% and a positive return on equity of 5.22%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 32.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.18) EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Albemarle Corporation will post 12.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albemarle Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 12th will be given a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 12th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Albemarle’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -47.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on ALB. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Albemarle from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Albemarle from $165.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Argus upped their price target on shares of Albemarle from $185.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Albemarle from $185.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Evercore upped their price target on shares of Albemarle from $100.00 to $180.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Albemarle has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $201.42.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on Albemarle

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Albemarle news, CEO J Kent Masters sold 16,393 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.72, for a total transaction of $3,011,721.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 87,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,078,990.68. This trade represents a 15.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Albemarle Profile

(Free Report)

Albemarle Corporation is a leading global specialty chemicals company primarily engaged in the production and distribution of lithium, bromine, and catalysts. Its lithium segment supplies key components used in rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles, portable electronics, and grid storage systems. The company’s bromine specialty products serve a wide range of industries, including oil and gas drilling fluids, fire safety solutions, and water treatment. In its catalysts division, Albemarle provides products for petroleum refining, chemical processing and emissions control.

Founded in 1994 as a spin-off from Ethyl Corporation, Albemarle has grown through strategic acquisitions and capacity expansions to become one of the world’s foremost chemical producers.