Albemarle Corp (ALB)
Materials · Specialty Chemicals · US stock · S&P 500 component
$93.67
▲ +1.13 (1.22%)
Fair valueFair
$97 +4.9% to fair value
$49fair band $83–$118$146
Day's range
$92.22 – $94.31
52-week range
$88.01 – $221.00
About Albemarle Corp
Albemarle is a specialty chemicals company centred on lithium, bromine and catalysts. Lithium compounds go to makers of batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage, bromine products serve fire-safety and electronics uses, and catalysts are supplied to oil refiners. The business is organised around energy storage, specialties and catalyst operations, and its customers are mostly industrial and manufacturing companies.
Earnings move with demand in end markets such as electric vehicles and with the volumes of chemicals supplied. Revenue is $5.9 billion over the last twelve months, but revenue growth over three years is -11.1% a year. The operating margin is 4.3%, and the business earns a profit of 2% on the capital invested in it. Albemarle carries net debt of 0.4 times EBITDA, and the dividend yield is 1.8%. On the site's X-Ray Score it receives 46 out of 100.
Price chart
52-wk range $88.01 – $221.00Volume 1,570,010Daily, split-adjusted
Vitals
Market cap$12.8B
52-week range$88.01 – $221.00
Volume (last day)1,570,010
P/E (TTM)51.2
EBIT / EV yield1.9%
Free-cash-flow yield10.6%
Dividend yield1.8%
Revenue (TTM)$5.9B
Net income (TTM)$224M
Operating margin4.3%
Return on capital1.7%
Debt incl. leases$2.0B
Cash & securities$1.6B
Debt = borrowings plus lease liabilities. Cash & securities = cash, equivalents and short-term marketable securities (long-term securities are not counted, so net cash can be understated for companies that hold large long-term investments). Net debt = debt minus cash & securities. Source: latest SEC 10-Q/10-K. EBIT / EV yield = operating profit divided by market cap plus net debt.
Fair value estimate
$97middle half of models $90 – $111
Fair
+4.9% to fair value
Average of the 12 valuation models that pass our checks: multiples, discounted cash flow, dividend discount and earnings power value. A model more than 100% above or 60% below the price is left out as unrealistic. Model uncertainty is Medium, based on how far apart the models are. Undervalued or Overvalued means the gap to fair value is more than 17.5%.
Price $94
Undervalued < $83Fair $83 – $118Overvalued > $118
P/E multiple
$87
P/B multiple
$138
P/S multiple
$112
EV/EBITDA multiple
$110
EV/EBIT multiple
$66
EV/revenue multiple
$111
10-year DCF, EBITDA exit
$91
5-year DCF, EBITDA exit
$98
10-year DCF, revenue exit
$91
5-year DCF, revenue exit
$98
10-year DCF, growth exit · not used
$32
5-year DCF, growth exit · not used
$27
Dividend discount, stable
$63
Dividend discount, multi-stage
$100
Earnings power value · not used
$31
Growth the price implies
27.4%/yr
A model estimate, not a price target or recommendation. Inputs: risk-free 5.13%, equity risk premium 4.30% (Damodaran). How it works.
What this means
Average business, fairly priced
The price sits inside our fair-value band. A high score does not guarantee a good outcome; it shifts the odds a little. Use the checklist as a prompt for your own research.
Before you invest · decision checklist
Ticked boxes are filled in from our data; the rest are yours to answer.
The five-lens scan
Every score explained in one sentence, ranked against Materials peers. Open a lens to see the numbers behind it.
Strong: 70 to 100Fair: 50 to 69Weak: under 50No score: not enough data
Valuation
Fair
59/100
Priced about in line with its sector.
See the numbers →
EBIT / EV yield1.9%
Free-cash-flow yield10.6%
Fair value vs price1.0×
Growth
Weak
17/100
Growing slower than most of its sector.
See the numbers →
Revenue growth (3y)-11.1%
Growth consistency30%
Profitability
Weak
29/100
Earns lower returns on its capital than most peers.
See the numbers →
Return on invested capital1.7%
Operating margin4.3%
Gross profitability8.8%
Financial health
Strong
71/100
Balance sheet looks strong: debt is well covered.
See the numbers →
Piotroski F-Score6 / 9
Net debt / EBITDA0.4×
Interest coverNo interest cost
Dividends
Fair
62/100
Dividend is typical for its sector.
See the numbers →
Dividend yield1.8%
Dividends vs free cash flow16%
Dividend growth1.1%
Quarterly results: last 6 quarters
-20.9%
Mar '25
-7.0%
Jun '25
-3.5%
Sep '25
+15.9%
Dec '25
+32.7%
Mar '26
+31.1%
Jun '26
Revenue against the same quarter a year earlier. Latest quarter revenue $1.7B, diluted EPS $3.52.
Compare with peers
PPG Ppg Industries Inc66 SHW Sherwin Williams Co54 ECL Ecolab Inc.50 IFF International Flavors...24Other Specialty Chemicals companies by X-Ray Score.
SWOT analysis: Albemarle Corp
Strengthsinside the company
- Free cash flow equals 10.6% of the market value, which funds dividends, buybacks or debt paydown.
- Net debt is only 0.4x EBITDA.
- Operating profit covers interest 50x, so debt costs are a small drag.
Weaknessesinside the company
- Return on invested capital is only 1.7% (median 13.5% for industry peers), so the business earns little above its cost of capital.
- Operating margin of 4.3% is thin against 16.0% for industry peers.
- Revenue has fallen 11.1% a year over three years while industry peers grew 1.3%.
Opportunitiesvaluation and setting
- Dividends use only 16% of free cash flow, which leaves room to raise them.
Threatsvaluation and setting
- Trades at 56.2x earnings, 59% above the 35.3x median of industry peers, so the price already assumes better results.
- Earnings in Specialty Chemicals follow the industry cycle, so margins and profits can swing from year to year.
Written by fixed rules from the figures on this page and the peer table below: filings, our fair value, the sector climate and the price trend. It summarises the data, it is not a forecast or advice.
Compare ALB with peers and sector
Medians of 4 Specialty Chemicals peers and of 22 Materials stocks in our universe.
Largest peers (X-Ray Score): SHW 54, ECL 50, PPG 66, IFF 24.
| Metric | ALB | Peers | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|
| X-Ray Score (out of 100) | 46 | 52 | 53 |
| Valuation | 59 | 27 | 43 |
| Growth | 17 | 57 | 57 |
| Profitability | 29 | 66 | 55 |
| Financial health | 71 | 44 | 48 |
| Dividends | 62 | 57 | 54 |
Sector leaders: highest X-Ray Score in Materials
ALB ranks #15 of 23 in Materials and #4 of 5 in Specialty Chemicals by X-Ray Score. A higher score is stronger on our five pillars; it is a ranking of facts, not a forecast.
Green means better than the peer median, red worse (only where a higher or lower figure is clearly better). A dash means too few companies report the figure. P/E, EV/EBITDA and price changes are not graded: a different level is not good or bad by itself.
Factor ratings for ALB
Each factor is rated by where ALB stands among the 23 Materials stocks in our universe.
Rating against the sector
Goodthe top third of these stocks
Averagethe middle third of these stocks
Badthe bottom third of these stocks
"Beats" is the share of those stocks it is ahead of.
Against its own history
The last columns set today's figure against the company's own median of its last five financial years:
▲ Betterbetter than its usual level
▼ Worseworse than its usual level
≈ In linewithin its usual range
For valuation factors Good means cheaper than most of the sector and Better means cheaper than usual for this company, which is not the same as a bargain.
In total: 9 Good · 5 Average · 8 Bad of 22
Growth: 0 · 0 · 2
Profitability: 0 · 1 · 4
Financial strength: 3 · 1 · 0
Valuation: 2 · 2 · 1
Cash flow: 3 · 1 · 0
Efficiency: 1 · 0 · 1
| Factor | ALB | Rating | Sector median | Own 5-year median | Against own history |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growth | |||||
| Revenue growth, 3 years a year | −11.1% | Bad beats 15% | +0.6% | – | – |
| Revenue growth, last year | −4.4% | Bad beats 11% | +5.3% | +6.4% | ▼ Worse |
| Profitability | |||||
| Gross margin | 23.8% | Average beats 38% | 27.9% | 13.0% | ▲ Better |
| Operating margin | 4.3% | Bad beats 20% | 11.8% | 2.6% | ▲ Better |
| Net margin | 3.8% | Bad beats 28% | 7.8% | 3.7% | ≈ In line |
| Return on invested capital | 1.7% | Bad beats 20% | 10.0% | – | – |
| Return on equity | 2.2% | Bad beats 24% | 14.8% | 2.2% | ≈ In line |
| Financial strength | |||||
| Net debt / EBITDA | 0.4x | Good beats 85% | 2.4x | 3.3x | ▲ Better |
| Interest cover | 50.0x | Good beats 91% | 7.8x | – | – |
| Current ratio | 2.09 | Good beats 72% | 1.61 | 1.89 | ▲ Better |
| Piotroski F-score | 6 / 9 | Average beats 46% | 6 / 9 | – | – |
| Valuation | |||||
| P/E ratio | 56.2x | Bad beats 8% | 21.6x | 10.8x | ▼ Worse |
| Price / book | 1.2x | Good beats 93% | 3.1x | 1.8x | ▲ Better |
| Price / sales | 2.1x | Average beats 50% | 2.1x | 3.2x | ▲ Better |
| EV / EBITDA | 14.8x | Average beats 46% | 14.2x | 28.8x | ▲ Better |
| Free cash flow yield | 10.6% | Good beats 98% | 3.4% | -2.2% | ▲ Better |
| Cash flow | |||||
| Free cash flow margin | 22.7% | Good beats 84% | 7.7% | -8.6% | ▲ Better |
| Cash from operations / net income | 8.03 | Good beats 97% | 1.50 | 0.84 | ▲ Better |
| Free cash flow growth, 3 years a year | +2.1% | Average beats 34% | +11.3% | – | – |
| Accruals (lower is better) | −9.9% | Good beats 93% | −4.2% | – | – |
| Efficiency | |||||
| Inventory turnover | 3.3x | Bad beats 8% | 5.3x | 3.5x | ≈ In line |
| Days sales outstanding | 37 days | Good beats 78% | 54 days | 50 days | ▲ Better |
These ratings compare companies with each other and describe the past; they are not a forecast, a recommendation or part of the X-Ray Score. A factor is left out when its data is missing or meaningless (for example a P/E on negative earnings). A dash in the history columns means fewer than three usable years.
Fundamentals checklist
● 6 Good · ● 3 Average · ● 6 BadCash quality
Earnings backed by cashGood
Free-cash-flow yieldGood
Risk models
Altman Z''Good
Piotroski F-ScoreAverage
Growth
Free-cash-flow growth (3y)Average
Revenue growth (3y)Bad
Growth consistencyBad
Balance sheet
Current ratioGood
Net debt / EBITDAGood
Interest coverGood
Valuation
Fair value vs priceAverage
EBIT / EV yieldBad
Profitability
Return on invested capitalBad
Operating marginBad
Gross profitabilityBad
Each check is graded against the company's sector, not a fixed number. Checklist score 48/100.
Financials
| FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $3.3B | $7.3B | $9.6B | $5.4B | $5.1B |
| Operating income | $798M | $2.5B | $252M | −$1.8B | −$367M |
| Net income | $124M | $2.7B | $1.6B | −$1.2B | −$511M |
| Operating cash flow | $344M | $1.9B | $1.3B | $688M | $1.3B |
| Operating margin | 24.0% | 33.7% | 2.6% | -33.0% | -7.1% |
| Free cash flow | −$609M | $651M | −$828M | −$993M | $692M |
| Diluted EPS | $1.06 | $22.84 | $13.36 | $-11.20 | $-5.76 |
Fiscal years, from SEC filings.
Technical summary
Daily
Bearish
4 bullish · 0 neutral · 12 bearish
Weekly
Strongly bearish
0 bullish · 1 neutral · 11 bearish
Monthly
Strongly bearish
1 bullish · 1 neutral · 6 bearish
Moving averages (daily)
| SMA 10 | 95.89 | Bearish |
| EMA 10 | 96.27 | Bearish |
| SMA 20 | 100.3 | Bearish |
| EMA 20 | 100.5 | Bearish |
| SMA 50 | 115.6 | Bearish |
| EMA 50 | 111.4 | Bearish |
| SMA 100 | 125.2 | Bearish |
| EMA 100 | 123.9 | Bearish |
| SMA 200 | 151.0 | Bearish |
| EMA 200 | 131.0 | Bearish |
Oscillators (daily)
| RSI (14) | 28.71 | Bullish |
| MACD (12, 26) | -5.91 | Bearish |
| Momentum (12) | -8.84 | Bearish |
| Stochastic %K (14) | 16.09 | Bullish |
| Williams %R (14) | -83.91 | Bullish |
| CCI (20) | -102.9 | Bullish |
Pivot points (classic, last session)
S3 90.40 | S2 91.31 | S1 92.49 | Pivot 93.40 | R1 94.58 | R2 95.49 | R3 96.67 |
Signals describe what the chart is doing, not what to do. Moving averages: price above the average is bullish. Oscillators use the usual thresholds (RSI 30/70, Stochastic 20/80, CCI ±100, Williams %R −80/−20; MACD and momentum above zero are bullish). Weekly and monthly views use closing prices only.
Dividends
Paid, last 12 months
1.63 USD
Yield on today's price
1.73%
Frequency
Quarterly
Next ex-dividend date
Not announced
| Ex-dividend date | Amount per share |
|---|---|
| 0.4100 | |
| 0.4050 | |
| 0.4050 | |
| 0.4050 | |
| 0.4050 | |
| 0.4050 | |
| 0.4050 | |
| 0.4050 | |
| 0.4050 | |
| 0.4000 | |
| 0.4000 | |
| 0.4000 |
Ex-dividend dates and amounts from EODHD. Shown as declared, before tax.
ETFs that hold ALB
| ETF | Share of the fund |
|---|---|
| REMX VanEck Rare Earth/Strategic Metals | 6.99% |
| LIT Global X Lithium & Battery Tech | 4.53% |
| XLB Materials Select Sector SPDR | 2.13% |
| KNG FT Cboe Vest S&P 500 Dividend Aristocr... | 1.38% |
| NOBL ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats | 1.30% |
| SPHB Invesco S&P 500 High Beta | 0.76% |
| JAVA JPMorgan Active Value | 0.47% |
| CGGR Capital Group Growth | 0.40% |
The eight funds with the largest weight in ALB among the ETFs we cover, from each fund's latest SEC Form N-PORT (quarter-end positions, so they can be months old). All ETFs.
ALB stock splits
ALB has split its stock once since 2007. The latest was a 2-for-1 split on 2 Mar 2007.
Full ALB stock split history →ALB SEC filings
8-KSEC EDGAR
Director or officer change; Regulation FD disclosure
8-KSEC EDGAR
Director or officer change
10-QSEC EDGAR
Quarterly report
8-KSEC EDGAR
Results of operations
8-KSEC EDGAR
Director or officer change; Regulation FD disclosure
8-KSEC EDGAR
Director or officer change
8-KSEC EDGAR
Director or officer change; Shareholder vote results
10-QSEC EDGAR
Quarterly report
Where the numbers come from
Statements SEC EDGAR filings (10-K, 10-Q), quarters derived from year-to-date figures.
Prices end-of-day closes, split-adjusted.
Industry inputs beta, multiples and equity risk premium from Damodaran Online (NYU Stern).
StocksXray is for education only and is not financial advice. Scores and fair values are model estimates from public filings and carry uncertainty.