ALB vs. NUE: Albemarle vs. Nucor Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Company profile comparison for Albemarle (ALB) and Nucor (NUE)
Profile Item	ALB	NUE
Name	Albemarle Corporation	Nucor Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Specialty Chemicals	Steel
Market Capitalization	11.71 billion USD	55.58 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	February 22, 1994	March 17, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ALB

NUE

GSPC

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Nucor (NUE), 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 Nucor (NUE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Nucor (NUE)
Metric	ALB	NUE
Total Return (1Y)	1.28%	74.82%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-3.80%	19.83%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-17.74%	18.79%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ALB

NUE

GSPC

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Nucor (NUE), 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 Nucor (NUE). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Nucor (NUE)
Metric	ALB	NUE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	53.59%	32.37%
Beta (5Y)	1.32	1.82
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-83.90%	-47.79%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.40M	1.37M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ALB and NUE 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 Nucor (NUE)
Metric	ALB	NUE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.06	2.18
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.08	3.28

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 7.05% and Nucor (NUE) at 17.58% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

ALB

Materials industry group

7.05%

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

NUE

Materials industry group

17.58%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
NUE: 17.58%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 11.08% and Nucor (NUE) at 9.26% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

ALB

Materials industry group

11.08%

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

NUE

Materials industry group

9.26%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
NUE: 9.26%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 11.74% and Nucor (NUE) at 16.73% 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%

NUE

Materials industry group

16.73%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
NUE: 16.73%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Nucor (NUE)
Metric	ALB	NUE
ROE (TTM)	7.05%	17.58%
ROA (TTM)	3.95%	8.82%
Net Margin (TTM)	11.08%	9.26%
Operating Margin (TTM)	11.74%	16.73%
Gross Margin (TTM)	26.17%	17.39%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Nucor (NUE) at 5.73% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Albemarle (ALB) at -4.37% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Nucor (NUE) reports EPS growth of -11.11%, ranked against its industry; Albemarle (ALB) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Nucor (NUE)
Metric	ALB	NUE
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-4.37%	5.73%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-11.10%	-7.84%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	-11.11%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-36.08%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 2.34 and Nucor (NUE) at 2.46 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

NUE

Materials industry group

2.46

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
NUE: 2.46
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 0.18 and Nucor (NUE) 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

NUE

Materials industry group

0.29

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
NUE: 0.29
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Nucor (NUE)
Metric	ALB	NUE
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.34	2.46
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.18	0.29
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.09	0.52

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 1.65% and Nucor (NUE) at 0.91% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

ALB

Materials industry group

1.65%

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

NUE

Materials industry group

0.91%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
NUE: 0.91%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 39.16% and Nucor (NUE) at 17.78% 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%

NUE

Materials industry group

17.78%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
NUE: 17.78%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Nucor (NUE)
Metric	ALB	NUE
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.65%	0.91%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	39.16%	17.78%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 23.92 and Nucor (NUE) at 15.60 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

ALB

Materials industry group

23.92

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

NUE

Materials industry group

15.60

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
NUE: 15.60
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Nucor (NUE): 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 Nucor (NUE) at 1.43 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

NUE

Materials industry group

1.43

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
NUE: 1.43
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Nucor (NUE): 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 Nucor (NUE) at 2.43 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

NUE

Materials industry group

2.43

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
NUE: 2.43
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Nucor (NUE)
Metric	ALB	NUE
P/E Ratio (TTM)	23.92	15.60
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.90	1.43
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.41	2.43
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	10.67%	2.77%