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ALB vs. GFI: Albemarle vs. Gold Fields Stock Comparison

How do Albemarle (ALB) and Gold Fields (GFI) 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 Gold Fields (GFI) both fall under the Materials industry group, but ALB is classified in Chemicals while GFI is classified in Metals & Mining.

Albemarle (ALB) trades as ordinary local shares, while Gold Fields (GFI) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Albemarle (ALB) and Gold Fields (GFI)
Profile ItemALBGFI
NameAlbemarle CorporationGold Fields Ltd. Sponsored ADR
Country/RegionUnited StatesSouth Africa
GICS SectorMaterialsMaterials
GICS Industry GroupMaterialsMaterials
GICS IndustryChemicalsMetals & Mining
GICS Sub-IndustrySpecialty ChemicalsGold
Market Capitalization11.71 billion USD34.65 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 22, 1994March 17, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ALB
GFI
GSPC
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Albemarle (ALB) vs. Gold Fields (GFI), 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 Gold Fields (GFI). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Gold Fields (GFI)
MetricALBGFI
Total Return (1Y)1.28%9.54%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-3.80%51.07%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-17.74%38.08%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ALB
GFI
GSPC
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Albemarle (ALB) vs. Gold Fields (GFI), 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 Gold Fields (GFI). 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 Gold Fields (GFI) is defensive at 0.64 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Gold Fields (GFI)
MetricALBGFI
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)53.59%60.41%
Beta (5Y)1.320.64
Max Drawdown (5Y)-83.90%-56.22%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.40M3.78M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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ALB and GFI 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 Gold Fields (GFI)
MetricALBGFI
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.060.09
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.080.12

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Gold Fields (GFI) at 58.68% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Albemarle (ALB) at 7.05%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

ALB

Materials industry group

7.05%

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

GFI

Materials industry group

58.68%

GFI
58.68%
Max
52.88%
Q3
19.49%
Median
8.76%
Q1
-3.41%
Min
-32.81%
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Albemarle (ALB) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Gold Fields (GFI) at 38.66% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Albemarle (ALB) at 11.08%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

ALB

Materials industry group

11.08%

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

GFI

Materials industry group

38.66%

GFI
38.66%
Max
38.66%
Q3
15.98%
Median
5.28%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-20.40%
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Albemarle (ALB) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Gold Fields (GFI) at 55.00% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Albemarle (ALB) at 11.74%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

ALB

Materials industry group

11.74%

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

GFI

Materials industry group

55.00%

Max
66.70%
GFI
55.00%
Q3
28.92%
Median
12.56%
Q1
3.28%
Min
-14.07%
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Albemarle (ALB) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Gold Fields (GFI)
MetricALBGFI
ROE (TTM)7.05%58.68%
ROA (TTM)3.95%28.52%
Net Margin (TTM)11.08%38.66%
Operating Margin (TTM)11.74%55.00%
Gross Margin (TTM)26.17%57.77%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Gold Fields (GFI) at 68.24% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Albemarle (ALB) at -4.37% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in revenue momentum.

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Albemarle (ALB) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Gold Fields (GFI) reports EPS growth of 185.51%, ranked against its industry; Albemarle (ALB) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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Albemarle (ALB) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Gold Fields (GFI)
MetricALBGFI
Revenue Growth (YoY)-4.37%68.24%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-11.10%26.86%
EPS Growth (YoY)--185.51%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)--71.58%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 2.34 and Gold Fields (GFI) at 1.87 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

GFI

Materials industry group

1.87

Max
5.96
Q3
3.30
Median
2.24
GFI
1.87
Q1
1.45
Min
0.16
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Albemarle (ALB) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 0.18 and Gold Fields (GFI) at 0.29 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

ALB

Materials industry group

0.18

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

GFI

Materials industry group

0.29

Max
1.98
Q3
0.89
Median
0.47
GFI
0.29
Q1
0.13
Min
0.00
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Albemarle (ALB) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Gold Fields (GFI)
MetricALBGFI
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.341.87
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.180.29
Net Debt / EBITDA0.090.06

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Albemarle (ALB) at 1.65% pays an industry-typical yield; Gold Fields (GFI) at 5.65% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

ALB

Materials industry group

1.65%

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

GFI

Materials industry group

5.65%

GFI
5.65%
Max
4.52%
Q3
1.85%
Median
0.38%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Albemarle (ALB) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 39.16% and Gold Fields (GFI) at 31.81% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

ALB

Materials industry group

39.16%

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

GFI

Materials industry group

31.81%

Max
83.62%
Q3
41.37%
GFI
31.81%
Median
9.54%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Albemarle (ALB) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Gold Fields (GFI)
MetricALBGFI
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.65%5.65%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)39.16%31.81%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Gold Fields (GFI) at 8.03 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Albemarle (ALB) at 23.92 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for GFI, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

ALB

Materials industry group

23.92

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

GFI

Materials industry group

8.03

Max
59.00
Q3
32.93
Median
18.82
Q1
11.96
GFI
8.03
Min
3.93
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Albemarle (ALB) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Albemarle (ALB) at 1.90 and Gold Fields (GFI) at 3.05 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

ALB

Materials industry group

1.90

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

GFI

Materials industry group

3.05

Max
9.62
Q3
4.34
GFI
3.05
Median
1.87
Q1
0.73
Min
0.00
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Albemarle (ALB) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Albemarle (ALB) at 1.41 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Gold Fields (GFI) at 7.78 prices above its benchmark range — GFI looks rich relative to book.

ALB

Materials industry group

1.41

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

GFI

Materials industry group

7.78

GFI
7.78
Max
6.59
Q3
3.55
Median
2.08
Q1
1.26
Min
-0.17
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Albemarle (ALB) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Gold Fields (GFI)
MetricALBGFI
P/E Ratio (TTM)23.928.03
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.903.05
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.417.78
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)10.67%12.05%