ALB vs. HL: A Head-to-Head Stock Comparison

Updated on July 8, 2025

Here’s a clear look at ALB and HL, comparing key factors like historical performance, profitability, financial strength, growth, dividend, and valuation.

Company Overview

ALB’s market capitalization of 7.91 billion USD is substantially larger than HL’s 3.84 billion USD, indicating a significant difference in their market valuations.

With betas of 1.61 for ALB and 1.45 for HL, both stocks show similar sensitivity to overall market movements.

Symbol	ALB	HL
Company Name	Albemarle Corporation	Hecla Mining Company
Country	US	US
Sector	Basic Materials	Basic Materials
Industry	Chemicals - Specialty	Gold
CEO	Jerry Kent Masters Jr.	Robert L. Krcmarov
Price	67.21 USD	6.07 USD
Market Cap	7.91 billion USD	3.84 billion USD
Beta	1.61	1.45
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
IPO Date	February 22, 1994	March 17, 1980
ADR	No	No

Historical Performance

This chart compares the performance of ALB and HL by tracking the growth of an initial $10,000 investment in each. Use the tabs to select the desired time period.

Data is adjusted for dividends and splits.

ALB vs. HL: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past one year.

Profitability

Return on Equity

ALB

-11.01%

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 34.45%
Q3: 15.78%
Median: 7.65%
Q1: 2.96%
Min: -12.04%

ALB has a negative Return on Equity of -11.01%. This indicates the company is generating a loss for its shareholders, which can be a result of unprofitability or negative shareholder equity and is often a sign of financial distress.

HL

6.18%

Gold Industry

Max: 25.86%
Q3: 12.48%
Median: 8.15%
Q1: 2.34%
Min: -3.82%

HL’s Return on Equity of 6.18% is on par with the norm for the Gold industry, indicating its profitability relative to shareholder equity is typical for the sector.

ALB vs. HL: A comparison of their ROE against their respective Chemicals - Specialty and Gold industry benchmarks.

Return on Invested Capital

ALB

-8.62%

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 20.22%
Q3: 10.99%
Median: 5.25%
Q1: 3.06%
Min: -8.62%

ALB has a negative Return on Invested Capital of -8.62%. This indicates that its operations are failing to generate a profit on the total capital invested, signaling significant inefficiency or value destruction.

HL

4.43%

Gold Industry

Max: 20.84%
Q3: 9.90%
Median: 5.11%
Q1: 1.36%
Min: -10.62%

HL’s Return on Invested Capital of 4.43% is in line with the norm for the Gold industry, reflecting a standard level of efficiency in generating profits from its capital base.

ALB vs. HL: A comparison of their ROIC against their respective Chemicals - Specialty and Gold industry benchmarks.

Net Profit Margin

ALB

-22.39%

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 23.23%
Q3: 10.64%
Median: 5.14%
Q1: 0.64%
Min: -8.93%

ALB has a negative Net Profit Margin of -22.39%, indicating the company is operating at a net loss as its expenses exceeded its revenues.

HL

9.43%

Gold Industry

Max: 26.48%
Q3: 21.01%
Median: 16.48%
Q1: 8.22%
Min: -6.63%

HL’s Net Profit Margin of 9.43% is aligned with the median group of its peers in the Gold industry. This indicates its ability to convert revenue into profit is typical for the sector.

ALB vs. HL: A comparison of their Net Profit Margin against their respective Chemicals - Specialty and Gold industry benchmarks.

Operating Profit Margin

ALB

-25.05%

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 26.42%
Q3: 15.81%
Median: 10.07%
Q1: 4.82%
Min: -7.44%

ALB has a negative Operating Profit Margin of -25.05%. This signifies the company is unprofitable at the operational level, as its core business expenses exceed its revenue.

HL

10.76%

Gold Industry

Max: 67.43%
Q3: 40.39%
Median: 30.64%
Q1: 19.83%
Min: -9.84%

HL’s Operating Profit Margin of 10.76% is in the lower quartile for the Gold industry. This indicates weaker profitability from core operations, which may stem from inefficiencies or competitive pressures on pricing.

ALB vs. HL: A comparison of their Operating Margin against their respective Chemicals - Specialty and Gold industry benchmarks.

Profitability at a Glance

Symbol	ALB	HL
Return on Equity (TTM)	-11.01%	6.18%
Return on Assets (TTM)	-6.71%	4.15%
Return on Invested Capital (TTM)	-8.62%	4.43%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)	-22.39%	9.43%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)	-25.05%	10.76%
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)	3.53%	18.52%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio

ALB

2.11

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 3.95
Q3: 2.60
Median: 2.04
Q1: 1.60
Min: 0.77

ALB’s Current Ratio of 2.11 aligns with the median group of the Chemicals - Specialty industry, indicating that its short-term liquidity is in line with its sector peers.

HL

1.43

Gold Industry

Max: 4.98
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.34
Q1: 1.51
Min: 0.52

HL’s Current Ratio of 1.43 falls into the lower quartile for the Gold industry. This indicates a tighter liquidity situation and a more constrained capacity to handle short-term debt than many of its competitors.

ALB vs. HL: A comparison of their Current Ratio against their respective Chemicals - Specialty and Gold industry benchmarks.

Debt-to-Equity Ratio

ALB

0.36

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 1.65
Q3: 1.10
Median: 0.73
Q1: 0.55
Min: 0.01

Falling into the lower quartile for the Chemicals - Specialty industry, ALB’s Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 0.36 points to a conservative financing strategy. This results in lower financial risk but potentially limits strategic investments compared to more leveraged competitors.

HL

0.02

Gold Industry

Max: 0.67
Q3: 0.34
Median: 0.17
Q1: 0.06
Min: 0.00

Falling into the lower quartile for the Gold industry, HL’s Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 0.02 points to a conservative financing strategy. This results in lower financial risk but potentially limits strategic investments compared to more leveraged competitors.

ALB vs. HL: A comparison of their D/E Ratio against their respective Chemicals - Specialty and Gold industry benchmarks.

Interest Coverage Ratio

ALB

-9.99

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 13.69
Q3: 9.06
Median: 5.24
Q1: 1.68
Min: -3.09

ALB has a negative Interest Coverage Ratio of -9.99. This indicates that its earnings were insufficient to cover even its operational costs, let alone its interest payments, signaling significant financial distress.

HL

5.59

Gold Industry

Max: 45.23
Q3: 25.79
Median: 13.44
Q1: 2.91
Min: -6.26

HL’s Interest Coverage Ratio of 5.59 is positioned comfortably within the norm for the Gold industry, indicating a standard and healthy capacity to cover its interest payments.

ALB vs. HL: A comparison of their Interest Coverage against their respective Chemicals - Specialty and Gold industry benchmarks.

Financial Strength at a Glance

Symbol	ALB	HL
Current Ratio (TTM)	2.11	1.43
Quick Ratio (TTM)	1.26	1.16
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (TTM)	0.36	0.02
Debt-to-Asset Ratio (TTM)	0.21	0.01
Net Debt-to-EBITDA Ratio (TTM)	-2.61	0.03
Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM)	-9.99	5.59

Growth

The following charts compare key year-over-year (YoY) growth metrics for ALB and HL. These metrics are based on the companies’ annual financial reports.

Revenue Growth

ALB vs. HL: A comparison of their annual year-over-year Revenue Growth.

Earnings Per Share (EPS) Growth

ALB vs. HL: A comparison of their annual year-over-year Earnings Per Share (EPS) Growth.

Free Cash Flow Growth

ALB vs. HL: A comparison of their annual year-over-year Free Cash Flow Growth.

Dividend

Dividend Yield

ALB

2.41%

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 9.19%
Q3: 2.44%
Median: 1.46%
Q1: 0.25%
Min: 0.00%

ALB’s Dividend Yield of 2.41% is consistent with its peers in the Chemicals - Specialty industry, providing a dividend return that is standard for its sector.

HL

0.58%

Gold Industry

Max: 3.65%
Q3: 1.37%
Median: 0.47%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

HL’s Dividend Yield of 0.58% is consistent with its peers in the Gold industry, providing a dividend return that is standard for its sector.

ALB vs. HL: A comparison of their Dividend Yield against their respective Chemicals - Specialty and Gold industry benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio

ALB

-31.01%

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 163.70%
Q3: 57.04%
Median: 30.02%
Q1: 12.51%
Min: 0.00%

ALB has a negative Dividend Payout Ratio of -31.01%. This typically means the company paid a dividend despite reporting a net loss, a situation that may signal financial instability.

HL

18.98%

Gold Industry

Max: 110.70%
Q3: 42.09%
Median: 15.45%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

HL’s Dividend Payout Ratio of 18.98% is within the typical range for the Gold industry, suggesting a balanced approach between shareholder payouts and company reinvestment.

ALB vs. HL: A comparison of their Payout Ratio against their respective Chemicals - Specialty and Gold industry benchmarks.

Dividend at a Glance

Symbol	ALB	HL
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.41%	0.58%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	-31.01%	18.98%

Valuation

Price-to-Earnings Ratio

ALB

-6.93

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 56.68
Q3: 33.75
Median: 23.45
Q1: 16.09
Min: 7.50

ALB has a negative P/E Ratio of -6.93. This occurs when a company has negative earnings (a net loss), making the ratio unsuitable for valuation analysis.

HL

30.54

Gold Industry

Max: 64.00
Q3: 46.06
Median: 29.03
Q1: 16.74
Min: 1.00

HL’s P/E Ratio of 30.54 is within the middle range for the Gold industry. This suggests its valuation is in line with the sector average, representing neither a significant premium nor a discount compared to its peers.

ALB vs. HL: A comparison of their P/E Ratio against their respective Chemicals - Specialty and Gold industry benchmarks.

Forward P/E to Growth Ratio

ALB

37.21

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 6.58
Q3: 3.23
Median: 1.64
Q1: 0.96
Min: 0.16

ALB’s Forward PEG Ratio of 37.21 is exceptionally high for the Chemicals - Specialty industry. This suggests its stock price is very high relative to its expected earnings growth, signaling significant overvaluation risk.

HL

2.52

Gold Industry

Max: 14.01
Q3: 6.52
Median: 3.33
Q1: 0.82
Min: 0.05

The Forward PEG Ratio is often not a primary valuation metric in the Gold industry.

ALB vs. HL: A comparison of their Forward PEG Ratio against their respective Chemicals - Specialty and Gold industry benchmarks.

Price-to-Sales Ratio

ALB

1.55

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 3.76
Q3: 2.31
Median: 1.38
Q1: 0.89
Min: 0.16

ALB’s P/S Ratio of 1.55 aligns with the market consensus for the Chemicals - Specialty industry. This suggests its valuation, based on sales, is seen as standard and is on par with its competitors.

HL

2.88

Gold Industry

Max: 15.12
Q3: 7.63
Median: 3.25
Q1: 2.30
Min: 0.79

HL’s P/S Ratio of 2.88 aligns with the market consensus for the Gold industry. This suggests its valuation, based on sales, is seen as standard and is on par with its competitors.

ALB vs. HL: A comparison of their P/S Ratio against their respective Chemicals - Specialty and Gold industry benchmarks.

Price-to-Book Ratio

ALB

0.79

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 6.73
Q3: 3.78
Median: 1.56
Q1: 1.27
Min: 0.35

ALB’s P/B Ratio of 0.79 is in the lower quartile for the Chemicals - Specialty industry. From a value investing perspective, this is favorable, as it suggests the stock is trading at a discount to its net asset value and may offer a greater margin of safety.

HL

1.85

Gold Industry

Max: 6.10
Q3: 3.60
Median: 2.02
Q1: 1.35
Min: 0.26

HL’s P/B Ratio of 1.85 is within the conventional range for the Gold industry. This shows a balanced market view, where the stock’s price is neither at a significant premium nor a discount to the book value of its peers.

ALB vs. HL: A comparison of their P/B Ratio against their respective Chemicals - Specialty and Gold industry benchmarks.

Valuation at a Glance

Symbol	ALB	HL
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (P/E, TTM)	-6.93	30.54
Forward PEG Ratio (TTM)	37.21	2.52
Price-to-Sales Ratio (P/S, TTM)	1.55	2.88
Price-to-Book Ratio (P/B, TTM)	0.79	1.85
Price-to-Free Cash Flow Ratio (P/FCF, TTM)	-56.65	54.83
EV-to-EBITDA (TTM)	-12.35	12.93
EV-to-Sales (TTM)	1.97	2.89