ALB vs. RS: Albemarle vs. Reliance Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Company profile comparison for Albemarle (ALB) and Reliance (RS)
Profile Item	ALB	RS
Name	Albemarle Corporation	Reliance, Inc.
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	21.24 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	February 22, 1994	September 16, 1994
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ALB

GSPC

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Reliance (RS), 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 Reliance (RS). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Reliance (RS)
Metric	ALB	RS
Total Return (1Y)	1.28%	54.53%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-3.80%	18.36%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-17.74%	22.28%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ALB

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Reliance (RS)
Metric	ALB	RS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	53.59%	25.64%
Beta (5Y)	1.32	0.97
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-83.90%	-22.32%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.40M	311.43K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ALB and RS 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 Reliance (RS)
Metric	ALB	RS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.06	1.96
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.08	2.92

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 7.05% and Reliance (RS) at 14.75% 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%

RS

Materials industry group

14.75%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
RS: 14.75%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 11.08% and Reliance (RS) at 6.38% 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%

RS

Materials industry group

6.38%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
RS: 6.38%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 11.74% and Reliance (RS) at 10.63% 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%

RS

Materials industry group

10.63%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
RS: 10.63%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Reliance (RS)
Metric	ALB	RS
ROE (TTM)	7.05%	14.75%
ROA (TTM)	3.95%	8.83%
Net Margin (TTM)	11.08%	6.38%
Operating Margin (TTM)	11.74%	10.63%
Gross Margin (TTM)	26.17%	28.17%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Reliance (RS) at 3.32% 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. Reliance (RS): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Reliance (RS) reports EPS growth of -10.15%, ranked against its industry; Albemarle (ALB) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Reliance (RS)
Metric	ALB	RS
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-4.37%	3.32%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-11.10%	-5.66%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	-10.15%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-22.40%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Albemarle (ALB) at 2.34 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Reliance (RS) at 4.12 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets 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

RS

Materials industry group

4.12

Max: 5.96
RS: 4.12
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 0.18 and Reliance (RS) at 0.25 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

RS

Materials industry group

0.25

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
RS: 0.25
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Reliance (RS)
Metric	ALB	RS
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.34	4.12
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.18	0.25
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.09	0.93

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 1.65% and Reliance (RS) at 1.20% 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%

RS

Materials industry group

1.20%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
RS: 1.20%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 39.16% and Reliance (RS) at 23.08% 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%

RS

Materials industry group

23.08%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
RS: 23.08%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Reliance (RS)
Metric	ALB	RS
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.65%	1.20%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	39.16%	23.08%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 23.92 and Reliance (RS) at 19.44 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

RS

Materials industry group

19.44

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
RS: 19.44
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Reliance (RS): 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 Reliance (RS) at 1.22 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

RS

Materials industry group

1.22

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
RS: 1.22
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Reliance (RS): 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 Reliance (RS) at 2.75 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

RS

Materials industry group

2.75

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
RS: 2.75
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Reliance (RS)
Metric	ALB	RS
P/E Ratio (TTM)	23.92	19.44
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.90	1.22
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.41	2.75
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	10.67%	1.19%