ALB vs. DOW: Albemarle vs. Dow Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Albemarle (ALB) and Dow (DOW) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Albemarle (ALB) and Dow (DOW) both belong to the Chemicals industry, though ALB is classified under Specialty Chemicals while DOW falls under Commodity Chemicals.

Company profile comparison for Albemarle (ALB) and Dow (DOW)
Profile Item	ALB	DOW
Name	Albemarle Corporation	Dow Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Chemicals
GICS Sub-Industry	Specialty Chemicals	Commodity Chemicals
Market Capitalization	11.71 billion USD	22.73 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	February 22, 1994	March 20, 2019
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ALB

DOW

GSPC

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Dow (DOW), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Albemarle (ALB) and Dow (DOW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Albemarle (ALB) and Dow (DOW). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Dow (DOW)
Metric	ALB	DOW
Total Return (1Y)	1.28%	46.93%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-3.80%	-8.46%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-17.74%	-6.94%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ALB

DOW

GSPC

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Dow (DOW), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Albemarle (ALB) and Dow (DOW). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Albemarle (ALB) has an aggressive beta of 1.32, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Dow (DOW) is defensive at 0.44 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Dow (DOW)
Metric	ALB	DOW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	53.59%	41.81%
Beta (5Y)	1.32	0.44
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-83.90%	-64.37%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.40M	8.52M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ALB and DOW are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Dow (DOW)
Metric	ALB	DOW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.06	1.02
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.08	1.62

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Dow (DOW) reports a negative ROE of -3.24%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Albemarle (ALB) reports 7.05%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ALB

Materials industry group

7.05%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
ALB: 7.05%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

DOW

Materials industry group

-3.24%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
DOW: -3.24%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Dow (DOW) reports a negative net margin of -2.11%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Albemarle (ALB) reports 11.08%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ALB

Materials industry group

11.08%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
ALB: 11.08%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

DOW

Materials industry group

-2.11%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
DOW: -2.11%
Min: -20.40%

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 11.74% and Dow (DOW) at 6.78% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

ALB

Materials industry group

11.74%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
ALB: 11.74%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

DOW

Materials industry group

6.78%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
DOW: 6.78%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Dow (DOW)
Metric	ALB	DOW
ROE (TTM)	7.05%	-3.24%
ROA (TTM)	3.95%	1.87%
Net Margin (TTM)	11.08%	-2.11%
Operating Margin (TTM)	11.74%	6.78%
Gross Margin (TTM)	26.17%	11.01%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Albemarle (ALB) at -4.37% and Dow (DOW) at -6.97% post bottom-quartile revenue growth versus peers, pointing to weaker demand or pricing momentum than typical rivals.

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Dow (DOW) reports EPS growth of -335.67%, ranked against its industry; Albemarle (ALB) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Dow (DOW)
Metric	ALB	DOW
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-4.37%	-6.97%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-11.10%	-11.11%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	-335.67%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 2.34 and Dow (DOW) at 1.76 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

ALB

Materials industry group

2.34

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
ALB: 2.34
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

DOW

Materials industry group

1.76

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
DOW: 1.76
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Albemarle (ALB) at 0.18 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Dow (DOW) at 1.08 uses more debt funding than most peers.

ALB

Materials industry group

0.18

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
ALB: 0.18
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

DOW

Materials industry group

1.08

Max: 1.98
DOW: 1.08
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Dow (DOW)
Metric	ALB	DOW
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.34	1.76
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.18	1.08
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.09	3.21

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Dow (DOW) at 4.38% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Albemarle (ALB) at 1.65% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, DOW the richer one.

ALB

Materials industry group

1.65%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
ALB: 1.65%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

DOW

Materials industry group

4.38%

Max: 4.52%
DOW: 4.38%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Dow (DOW) reports payout ratio above 100% at 700.00%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Albemarle (ALB) reports 39.16%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ALB

Materials industry group

39.16%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
ALB: 39.16%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

DOW

Materials industry group

700.00%

DOW: 700.00%
Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Dow (DOW)
Metric	ALB	DOW
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.65%	4.38%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	39.16%	700.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Albemarle (ALB) trades at 23.92 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Dow (DOW) has no P/E ratio this period.

ALB

Materials industry group

23.92

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
ALB: 23.92
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

DOW

Materials industry group

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93
DOW: --

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Dow (DOW): DOW does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; ALB is benchmarked against the Materials industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Dow (DOW) at 0.53 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Albemarle (ALB) at 1.90 prices around its industry’s middle — DOW costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

ALB

Materials industry group

1.90

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
ALB: 1.90
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

DOW

Materials industry group

0.53

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
DOW: 0.53
Min: 0.00

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Albemarle (ALB) at 1.41 and Dow (DOW) at 1.41 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

ALB

Materials industry group

1.41

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
ALB: 1.41
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

DOW

Materials industry group

1.41

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
DOW: 1.41
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Dow (DOW)
Metric	ALB	DOW
P/E Ratio (TTM)	23.92	--
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.90	0.53
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.41	1.41
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	10.67%	3.95%