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ALB

S&P 500
Weak · 40/100

Albemarle Corporation

Materials
Specialty Chemicals

$127.87

2.0%

Updated Aug 7, 11:30 AM ET

Report Card

ALB at a glance — five pillars scored 0–100 from real filed financials.

Value
0
Growth
0
Profitability
0
Health
0
Dividends
0

Overall: Weak · 40/100. A wider, greener shape means more pillars look healthy. Dividends scores 0 when a company pays none — that is a choice, not a flaw.

Price — Past Year

▲ Up 169.9% over the last 12 months

Price 50-day average 200-day averageDCF fair value ±15%Source: Yahoo Finance · refreshed daily
Key Metrics

Market Cap

$15.99B

P/E

Forward P/E (est.)

ROE

-2.4%

Revenue Growth

7.9%

EPS Growth

Profit Margin

-4.2%

FCF Yield

10.6%

Debt / Equity

0.34x

ROIC

-2.0%

Interest Coverage

Current Ratio

2.07x

Dividend Yield

1.0%

Implied Growth (rev. DCF)

4.5%

Rating Score

40/100

Business Overview
Research

Albemarle Corporation (ALB) is a large-cap company in the Specialty Chemicals industry, part of the Materials sector of the S&P 500, with a market value around $15.99B.

In its latest reported year it generated about $5.14B in revenue and posted a net loss of $510.63M.

Our model rates ALB Weak (40/100) on growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation. The summary below is built from its filed financials and current ratios and refreshes automatically.

Economic Moat

Evidence of durable competitive advantage in the filed financials (10 years of history).

No moat evidenceMoat evidence score: 12/100

The numbers don't show a durable competitive advantage — margins, growth, or returns on capital have been unstable or thin. Great returns are still possible; they just aren't protected.

Gross margin level0/100

8.8% average over the last 3 years

Gross margin stability0/100

±12.8 pts around 27.4% across 10 years

Revenue durability48/100

grew in 6 of the last 9 year-over-year periods

Free-cash-flow consistency0/100

positive in 3 of 10 years

Return on invested capital0/100

-2.0% latest fiscal year

A moat can't be proven by numbers alone — this scores the evidence a durable advantage leaves behind (pricing power, consistency, returns on capital), computed the same way for every stock. Pair it with the business overview before concluding anything.

Technical Analysis (Educational)
Research

Technical analysis reads price and volume to judge momentum and timing. It complements the fundamentals above — it does not replace them. Here is what ALB's chart says today, with each tool explained.

Trend — moving averages. A moving average is the average closing price over a window, which smooths out daily noise. ALB trades near $127.87, below its 50-day average ($172.24) and 200-day average ($148.96). Price below both averages is a downtrend — momentum is against buyers for now.

Momentum — RSI. The Relative Strength Index runs 0–100 and measures how strong recent gains are versus losses. Above 70 is "overbought", below 30 "oversold". At 30 it is in neutral territory — neither stretched nor washed out.

MACD. MACD compares two moving averages to flag shifts in momentum. Its histogram is currently negative — short-term momentum is fading.

Volatility — ATR. Average True Range is the typical daily move. ALB's is $8.17 (~6.4% of price), so swings of about that size each day are normal — handy for setting a stop that isn't too tight.

Support & resistance. Over the last month ALB found buyers near $127.51 (support) and sellers near $174.33 (resistance); its 52-week range is $64.24–$221.00. A decisive break beyond either edge often marks the next move.

Volume. The latest session traded 1.0× the 20-day average — about normal. Rising volume on up-days suggests real buying; on down-days, real selling.

Educational information to help you read a chart — not a recommendation or a forecast. It updates daily as the price and indicators change.

Revenue Growth
Research

4Y CAGR

11.5%

1/2 checks passedRevenue growingRevenue growth beats sector midpoint

Revenue moved from $2.68B in 2016 to $5.14B in 2025, a 7.5% compound annual growth rate. The most recent year grew a steady 7.9% year over year. Slower, mature growth is common for established businesses.

Profitability
Research
0/4 checks passedProfitableNet margin above sector midpointROE above 12%ROIC above 10%

Gross Margin

13.0%

Operating Margin

-7.1%

Net Margin

-9.9%

ROE

-2.4%

Albemarle Corporation keeps about -4.2% of each sales dollar as net profit, with a 13.0% gross margin and -7.1% operating margin. Return on equity is -2.4% and return on invested capital about -2.0%. The company is currently unprofitable on a net basis.

Debt Analysis
Research
3/3 checks passedDebt under 1× equityDebt under 2× equityShort-term bills covered

Total Debt

$1.88B

Net Debt

$792.02M

Net Debt / EBITDA

Debt / Equity

0.34x

Leverage: debt-to-equity is 0.3x, with a current ratio of 2.1x. That is a conservative balance sheet — a cushion in downturns. It carries roughly $1.88B of total debt against $1.09B of cash.

Cash Flow Analysis
Research
3/3 checks passedPositive free cash flowFCF yield above 2%Market expects achievable growth (<8%)

Operating CF

$1.28B

Free Cash Flow

$692.47M

FCF Margin

13.5%

In the latest year Albemarle Corporation produced about $1.28B of operating cash flow and $692.47M of free cash flow after capital spending. That is a free-cash-flow yield of about 10.6% on today's price. Strong cash generation funds dividends, buybacks, and reinvestment.

Dividend Safety

Can the payout survive a bad year? Scored from filed cash flow, earnings coverage, and the raise/cut record.

SafeSafety score: 100/100

The payout is comfortably covered by cash the business actually generates, with a raise habit behind it.

Dividend yield

1.0%

Per share (latest FY)

$1.62

Total paid (latest FY)

$190.53M

History on record

10 years

Free-cash-flow coverage100/100

dividend uses 28% of free cash flow

Raise streak100/100

total dividends increased 9 years in a row

Cut history100/100

no cuts in the last 10 years on record

Coverage uses the latest fiscal year as filed with the SEC; the streak counts total dollars paid (per-share figures can carry split artifacts). Educational information, not income advice.

Valuation Analysis
Research
0/1 checks passedTrading below DCF fair value

P/E

P/S

3.8x

P/B

1.34x

EV / EBITDA

ALB trades at n/a trailing earnings, 3.8x sales, and 1.3x book value. Reverse-engineering today's price implies the market expects roughly 4.5% long-term free-cash-flow growth. With no positive trailing earnings, value it on sales, cash flow, or growth rather than P/E.

DCF Fair Value (Educational)

A two-stage discounted cash flow on real SEC-filed free cash flow — the intrinsic-value anchor professional analysts triangulate from.

DCF fair value / share

$125.33

Current price

$127.87

-2% · Near fair-value estimate

Starting FCF (latest 10-K)

$692.47M

Growth, years 1–5

7.9%

Fade to terminal, years 6–10

2.5%

Discount rate

9.0%

PV of 10-yr free cash flow$6.33B
PV of terminal value$8.45B
Estimated equity value$14.78B
Shares outstanding118M

Cash flows grow at the stage-1 rate (trailing revenue growth, capped at 20%) for five years, fade to 2.5% by year 10, and continue at that rate forever (Gordon terminal value), all discounted at 9.0%. Small changes in assumptions move the result a lot — treat this as one reference point, not a target price. Educational only, not investment advice.

Metrics vs. Sector Range

Where ALB sits versus its Materials sector peers in the S&P 500.

TTM P/E
Forward P/E
P/S ratio
3.8xFair
Revenue growth
7.9%Average
EPS growth
Gross margin
13.0%Weak
Net margin
-4.2%Weak
ROE
-2.4%Weak

Bands show the middle half (25th–75th percentile) of the 54 Materials companies in the S&P 500 — the peer-relative anchor professional comps analysis uses. Context only — not investment advice.

Sector Peer Comparison

How ALB stacks up against its Materials peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.

In the Materials sector (78 S&P 500 companies), ALB ranks #42 of 78 by our overall rating.

P/E vs sector

median 22.7x

ROE vs sector

-2.4%

median 16.1%

Growth vs sector

7.9%

median 7.9%

Sector rank

#42

of 78 by rating

CompanyP/ERev Gr.Rating
ALBThis stock7.9%Weak· 40
LYB-22.0%Weak· 20
DD-22.5%Weak· 29
IFF25.5x-5.6%Weak· 38
PPG16.9x-3.9%Neutral· 57
ECL38.3x4.9%Neutral· 46
SHW35.1x3.9%Weak· 41
BALL17.9x13.7%Favorable· 62
Materials median22.7x7.9%45/100

Valuation vs. quality map

sector medianIFFPPGECLSHWBALLP/E — cheaper ←→ pricierROE — more profitable ↑

The sweet spot is upper-left: more profitable (higher ROE) for a lower P/E. Dashed lines mark the sector median.

Compare side by side

Peers are the closest Materials companies by sub-industry and size. Sector median is across all 78 S&P 500 names in the sector. Educational, not a recommendation.

5-Year Projection Model

Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.

2030 price target (Base Case)

$0.00 $0.00

vs. $127.87 today · expected CAGR -30%-22%

Metric20262027202820292030
Revenue$5.55B$6.00B$6.48B$7.00B$7.56B
Net income$166.62M$179.95M$194.35M$209.90M$226.69M
EPS$1.33$1.44$1.55$1.68$1.81
Share price (low)$15.99$17.27$18.65$20.15$21.76
Share price (high)$26.65$28.79$31.09$33.58$36.26
CAGR (low–high)-87% / -79%-63% / -53%-47% / -38%-37% / -28%-30% / -22%

Educational model on sample fundamentals — not a forecast or investment advice. Outputs are only as good as your assumptions.

Bull Case

The case for ALB:

  • Healthy free-cash-flow yield (~10.6%) funds buybacks and dividends.
  • A conservative balance sheet (debt/equity 0.3x) lowers risk.
Bear Case

The case against ALB:

  • Thin net margins (-4.2%) leave little room for error.
  • Our model's overall read is Weak (40/100).
Key Risks
Research

Margin risk — thin profitability (-4.2%) is vulnerable to cost or pricing pressure.

Market risk — sector rotation, the economic cycle, and broad sentiment move the stock regardless of fundamentals.

Investment Thesis
Research

On balance, the fundamentals screen weakly: Albemarle Corporation is a large-cap materials business growing at a mature pace, with modest profitability, and a sound balance sheet. It trades at n/a earnings, which our model scores Weak (40/100). Weigh this against your own goals and time horizon — this is educational information, not a recommendation.

Analyst Ratings

What 26 Wall Street analysts covering ALB recommend (August 2026). Consensus is a useful sanity check — not a substitute for your own homework.

Buy
consensus · score 3.9 / 5 across 26 analysts
Strong Buy 6Buy 10Hold 10Sell 0Strong Sell 0

Analysts have turned more positive over the last three months (+6 pts of buy ratings).

Latest SEC Filings

ALB's most recent filings, straight from SEC EDGAR. Annual and quarterly reports are the deep dives; 8-Ks flag material events the moment they happen.

ALB — frequently asked questions

Is ALB a good stock to buy?

We don't give buy or sell advice. Our model rates Albemarle Corporation Weak (40/100) based on its growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation — use that as a research starting point and make your own decision.

What is ALB's rating on The Stocks School?

Albemarle Corporation currently scores 40/100 (Weak) on our transparent model, which weighs real fundamentals: growth, margins, returns on capital, balance-sheet strength, and valuation.

How our ratings work
Where does ALB's data come from?

Live price data plus real fundamentals and 5-year financials pulled directly from Albemarle Corporation's SEC filings — refreshed automatically, not hand-entered.

How is the 5-year projection for ALB calculated?

It's a scenario model: it grows revenue at an assumed rate, applies a profit margin and a valuation multiple, and shows the resulting share-price range. The assumptions are yours to change — it's a tool for thinking, not a prediction.

Is this ALB analysis financial advice?

No. Everything on this page is educational research, not financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell ALB. Always do your own research and consider a licensed professional.

Data notice. Fundamentals and financial statements are sourced from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market-data providers; prices and market caps refresh on trading days and may be delayed. Ratings, projections, technical signals, and written summaries are model- or rule-generated for education and may simplify or lag the latest filings.

Not advice. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.