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

Updated on July 7, 2025

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

Company Overview

NUE’s market capitalization of 31.81 billion USD is significantly greater than ALB’s 7.91 billion USD, highlighting its more substantial market valuation.

With betas of 1.61 for ALB and 1.69 for NUE, both stocks show similar sensitivity to overall market movements.

Symbol	ALB	NUE
Company Name	Albemarle Corporation	Nucor Corporation
Country	US	US
Sector	Basic Materials	Basic Materials
Industry	Chemicals - Specialty	Steel
CEO	Jerry Kent Masters Jr.	Leon J. Topalian
Price	67.21 USD	137.87 USD
Market Cap	7.91 billion USD	31.81 billion USD
Beta	1.61	1.69
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
IPO Date	February 22, 1994	March 17, 1980
ADR	No	No

Historical Performance

This chart compares the performance of ALB and NUE 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. NUE: 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.

NUE

6.56%

Steel Industry

Max: 19.41%
Q3: 6.56%
Median: 1.54%
Q1: -3.03%
Min: -12.88%

NUE’s Return on Equity of 6.56% is on par with the norm for the Steel industry, indicating its profitability relative to shareholder equity is typical for the sector.

ALB vs. NUE: A comparison of their ROE against their respective Chemicals - Specialty and Steel 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.

NUE

5.54%

Steel Industry

Max: 8.44%
Q3: 6.04%
Median: 2.41%
Q1: -2.16%
Min: -5.38%

NUE’s Return on Invested Capital of 5.54% is in line with the norm for the Steel industry, reflecting a standard level of efficiency in generating profits from its capital base.

ALB vs. NUE: A comparison of their ROIC against their respective Chemicals - Specialty and Steel 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.

NUE

4.40%

Steel Industry

Max: 6.80%
Q3: 4.40%
Median: 0.88%
Q1: -2.05%
Min: -10.37%

NUE’s Net Profit Margin of 4.40% is aligned with the median group of its peers in the Steel industry. This indicates its ability to convert revenue into profit is typical for the sector.

ALB vs. NUE: A comparison of their Net Profit Margin against their respective Chemicals - Specialty and Steel 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.

NUE

6.94%

Steel Industry

Max: 17.40%
Q3: 7.61%
Median: 4.75%
Q1: -0.70%
Min: -10.86%

NUE’s Operating Profit Margin of 6.94% is around the midpoint for the Steel industry, indicating that its efficiency in managing core business operations is typical for the sector.

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

Profitability at a Glance

Symbol	ALB	NUE
Return on Equity (TTM)	-11.01%	6.56%
Return on Assets (TTM)	-6.71%	3.86%
Return on Invested Capital (TTM)	-8.62%	5.54%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)	-22.39%	4.40%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)	-25.05%	6.94%
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)	3.53%	10.46%

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.

NUE

2.52

Steel Industry

Max: 3.17
Q3: 3.03
Median: 2.58
Q1: 1.87
Min: 1.35

NUE’s Current Ratio of 2.52 aligns with the median group of the Steel industry, indicating that its short-term liquidity is in line with its sector peers.

ALB vs. NUE: A comparison of their Current Ratio against their respective Chemicals - Specialty and Steel 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.

NUE

0.39

Steel Industry

Max: 0.48
Q3: 0.45
Median: 0.27
Q1: 0.18
Min: 0.00

NUE’s Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 0.39 is typical for the Steel industry, indicating its use of leverage is in line with the sector norm. This suggests a balanced approach to its capital structure.

ALB vs. NUE: A comparison of their D/E Ratio against their respective Chemicals - Specialty and Steel 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.

NUE

15.03

Steel Industry

Max: 28.82
Q3: 10.16
Median: 3.04
Q1: -2.82
Min: -8.78

NUE’s Interest Coverage Ratio of 15.03 is in the upper quartile for the Steel industry, signifying a strong and healthy capacity to meet its interest payments from operating profits.

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

Financial Strength at a Glance

Symbol	ALB	NUE
Current Ratio (TTM)	2.11	2.52
Quick Ratio (TTM)	1.26	1.48
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (TTM)	0.36	0.39
Debt-to-Asset Ratio (TTM)	0.21	0.23
Net Debt-to-EBITDA Ratio (TTM)	-2.61	1.33
Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM)	-9.99	15.03

Growth

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

Revenue Growth

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

Earnings Per Share (EPS) Growth

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

Free Cash Flow Growth

ALB vs. NUE: 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.

NUE

1.59%

Steel Industry

Max: 16.89%
Q3: 3.75%
Median: 1.68%
Q1: 1.43%
Min: 0.00%

NUE’s Dividend Yield of 1.59% is consistent with its peers in the Steel industry, providing a dividend return that is standard for its sector.

ALB vs. NUE: A comparison of their Dividend Yield against their respective Chemicals - Specialty and Steel 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.

NUE

38.67%

Steel Industry

Max: 222.70%
Q3: 39.78%
Median: 32.33%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

NUE’s Dividend Payout Ratio of 38.67% is within the typical range for the Steel industry, suggesting a balanced approach between shareholder payouts and company reinvestment.

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

Dividend at a Glance

Symbol	ALB	NUE
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.41%	1.59%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	-31.01%	38.67%

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.

NUE

23.97

Steel Industry

Max: 24.65
Q3: 23.86
Median: 21.78
Q1: 15.59
Min: 7.61

A P/E Ratio of 23.97 places NUE in the upper quartile for the Steel industry. This high valuation relative to peers suggests the market holds elevated expectations for the company’s future growth.

ALB vs. NUE: A comparison of their P/E Ratio against their respective Chemicals - Specialty and Steel 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.

NUE

1.10

Steel Industry

Max: 3.14
Q3: 2.43
Median: 0.99
Q1: 0.40
Min: 0.10

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

ALB vs. NUE: A comparison of their Forward PEG Ratio against their respective Chemicals - Specialty and Steel 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.

NUE

1.05

Steel Industry

Max: 1.22
Q3: 0.82
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.30
Min: 0.19

NUE’s P/S Ratio of 1.05 is in the upper echelon for the Steel industry. This means the company is valued richly on its revenue stream compared to its peers, suggesting the stock is priced for a high level of future performance.

ALB vs. NUE: A comparison of their P/S Ratio against their respective Chemicals - Specialty and Steel 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.

NUE

1.60

Steel Industry

Max: 2.37
Q3: 1.48
Median: 0.77
Q1: 0.59
Min: 0.38

NUE’s P/B Ratio of 1.60 is in the upper tier for the Steel industry. This indicates that investors are paying a premium relative to the company’s net assets, a valuation that hinges on its ability to generate superior profits.

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

Valuation at a Glance

Symbol	ALB	NUE
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (P/E, TTM)	-6.93	23.97
Forward PEG Ratio (TTM)	37.21	1.10
Price-to-Sales Ratio (P/S, TTM)	1.55	1.05
Price-to-Book Ratio (P/B, TTM)	0.79	1.60
Price-to-Free Cash Flow Ratio (P/FCF, TTM)	-56.65	60.98
EV-to-EBITDA (TTM)	-12.35	10.32
EV-to-Sales (TTM)	1.97	1.20