Does Albemarle Stock Lead the Pack?
Albemarle‘s stock has significantly outperformed over the past year as of 11/18/2025, but how does it truly measure up against peers amidst dynamic lithium market conditions? A closer look reveals weak operating profitability and contracting revenue, despite a positive free cash flow margin. Valuation remains challenging due to current unprofitability, suggesting limited near-term upside if lithium market pressures persist.
- ALB’s near-zero operating margin, trailing HON (18.9%), reflects lithium price volatility and market oversupply challenges.
- ALB’s -23.9% revenue decline, lagging peers, stems from slumping lithium prices and market oversupply, revealing sector-specific headwinds.
- ALB gained 19.2% while at a -675.3 PE, outperforming peers, signaling investor anticipation of lithium market rebound despite current unprofitability.
Here’s how Albemarle stacks up across size, valuation, and profitability versus key peers.
| ALB | HON | PPG | HUN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap ($ Bil) | 14.3 | 121.6 | 21.4 | 1.4 |
| Revenue ($ Bil) | 4.9 | 40.7 | 15.7 | 5.8 |
| PE Ratio | -675.3 | 19.8 | 21.5 | -4.3 |
| LTM Revenue Growth | -23.9% | 7.5% | 8.5% | -3.5% |
| LTM Operating Margin | 0.4% | 18.9% | 13.8% | -0.4% |
| LTM FCF Margin | 2.4% | 15.2% | 4.6% | 3.4% |
| 12M Market Return | 19.2% | -9.3% | -21.1% | -54.3% |
For more details on Albemarle, read Buy or Sell ALB Stock. Below we compare ALB’s growth, margin, and valuation with peers across years
Revenue Growth Comparison
- Vertiv Stock: Betting on Power and Heat In The AI Era
- Micron Stock: Up 170% And Still Cheap?
- Why On Earth Is SpaceX Worth $800 Billion?
- The Next Big Rally in Ford Motor Stock Could Start Like This
- The Risk Factors to Watch Out For in NVIDIA Stock
- Intuitive Surgical Stock Now 16% Cheaper, Time To Buy
| LTM | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALB | -23.9% | -44.1% | 31.4% | 120.0% |
| HON | 7.5% | 5.0% | 3.4% | 3.1% |
| PPG | 8.5% | -2.4% | 4.0% | -7.1% |
| HUN | -3.5% | -1.2% | -23.8% | 4.6% |
Operating Margin Comparison
| LTM | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALB | 0.4% | -11.9% | 2.0% | 33.9% |
| HON | 18.9% | 19.9% | 19.3% | 18.1% |
| PPG | 13.8% | 14.4% | 12.5% | 10.7% |
| HUN | -0.4% | 1.2% | 1.7% | 9.4% |
PE Ratio Comparison
| LTM | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALB | -675.3 | -8.6 | 10.8 | 9.4 |
| HON | 19.8 | 25.8 | 24.6 | 29.2 |
| PPG | 21.5 | 25.0 | 27.8 | 28.9 |
| HUN | -4.3 | -16.4 | 44.1 | 12.0 |
Still not sure about ALB stock? Consider portfolio approach.
Portfolios Win When Stock Picks Fall Short
Stocks can jump or crash but long term success comes from staying invested. The right portfolio helps you ride gains and cushion single stock drops
The Trefis High Quality (HQ) Portfolio, with a collection of 30 stocks, has a track record of comfortably outperforming its benchmark that includes all 3 – the S&P 500, S&P mid-cap, and Russell 2000 indices. Why is that? As a group, HQ Portfolio stocks provided better returns with less risk versus the benchmark index; less of a roller-coaster ride, as evident in HQ Portfolio performance metrics.