Seek Returns

ALB vs. VALE: Albemarle vs. Vale Stock Comparison

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

Albemarle (ALB) trades as ordinary local shares, while Vale (VALE) 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 Vale (VALE)
Profile ItemALBVALE
NameAlbemarle CorporationVale S.A. American Depositary Shares
Country/RegionUnited StatesBrazil
GICS SectorMaterialsMaterials
GICS Industry GroupMaterialsMaterials
GICS IndustryChemicalsMetals & Mining
GICS Sub-IndustrySpecialty ChemicalsSteel
Market Capitalization11.71 billion USD49.32 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateFebruary 22, 1994March 21, 2002
Security TypeCommon StockADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ALB
VALE
GSPC
Loading price history…
Albemarle (ALB) vs. Vale (VALE), 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

Loading price history…
Trailing total returns for Albemarle (ALB) and Vale (VALE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…
Calendar-year total returns for Albemarle (ALB) and Vale (VALE). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Vale (VALE)
MetricALBVALE
Total Return (1Y)1.28%6.20%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-3.80%3.12%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-17.74%8.31%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ALB
VALE
GSPC
Loading price history…
Albemarle (ALB) vs. Vale (VALE), 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

Loading price history…
Distribution of monthly total returns for Albemarle (ALB) and Vale (VALE). 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 Vale (VALE) is defensive at 0.48 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Vale (VALE)
MetricALBVALE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)53.59%33.88%
Beta (5Y)1.320.48
Max Drawdown (5Y)-83.90%-49.81%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.40M32.62M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Loading chart…
ALB and VALE 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 Vale (VALE)
MetricALBVALE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.060.06
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.080.08

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 7.05% and Vale (VALE) at 0.26% 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%

VALE

Materials industry group

0.26%

Max
52.88%
Q3
19.49%
Median
8.76%
VALE
0.26%
Q1
-3.41%
Min
-32.81%
Loading chart…
Albemarle (ALB) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 11.08% and Vale (VALE) at 1.01% 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%

VALE

Materials industry group

1.01%

Max
38.66%
Q3
15.98%
Median
5.28%
VALE
1.01%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-20.40%
Loading chart…
Albemarle (ALB) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 11.74% and Vale (VALE) at 19.31% 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%

VALE

Materials industry group

19.31%

Max
66.70%
Q3
28.92%
VALE
19.31%
Median
12.56%
Q1
3.28%
Min
-14.07%
Loading chart…
Albemarle (ALB) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Vale (VALE)
MetricALBVALE
ROE (TTM)7.05%0.26%
ROA (TTM)3.95%6.97%
Net Margin (TTM)11.08%1.01%
Operating Margin (TTM)11.74%19.31%
Gross Margin (TTM)26.17%32.06%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Vale (VALE) at 0.91% 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.

Loading chart…
Albemarle (ALB) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Vale (VALE) reports EPS growth of -61.81%, ranked against its industry; Albemarle (ALB) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Loading chart…
Albemarle (ALB) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Vale (VALE)
MetricALBVALE
Revenue Growth (YoY)-4.37%0.91%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-11.10%-4.32%
EPS Growth (YoY)---61.81%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)---48.60%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Albemarle (ALB) at 2.34 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Vale (VALE) at 1.10 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for VALE.

ALB

Materials industry group

2.34

Max
5.96
Q3
3.30
ALB
2.34
Median
2.24
Q1
1.45
Min
0.16

VALE

Materials industry group

1.10

Max
5.96
Q3
3.30
Median
2.24
Q1
1.45
VALE
1.10
Min
0.16
Loading chart…
Albemarle (ALB) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 0.18 and Vale (VALE) at 0.55 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

VALE

Materials industry group

0.55

Max
1.98
Q3
0.89
VALE
0.55
Median
0.47
Q1
0.13
Min
0.00
Loading chart…
Albemarle (ALB) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Vale (VALE)
MetricALBVALE
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.341.10
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.180.55
Net Debt / EBITDA0.091.20

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Albemarle (ALB) at 1.65% pays an industry-typical yield; Vale (VALE) at 49.02% 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%

VALE

Materials industry group

49.02%

VALE
49.02%
Max
4.52%
Q3
1.85%
Median
0.38%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Albemarle (ALB) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Vale (VALE) reports payout ratio above 100% at 526.96%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Albemarle (ALB) reports 39.16%, ranking against industry peers normally.

ALB

Materials industry group

39.16%

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

VALE

Materials industry group

526.96%

VALE
526.96%
Max
83.62%
Q3
41.37%
Median
9.54%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Albemarle (ALB) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Vale (VALE)
MetricALBVALE
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.65%49.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)39.16%526.96%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Albemarle (ALB) at 23.92 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Vale (VALE) at 72.44 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for VALE’s trailing earnings.

ALB

Materials industry group

23.92

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

VALE

Materials industry group

72.44

VALE
72.44
Max
59.00
Q3
32.93
Median
18.82
Q1
11.96
Min
3.93
Loading chart…
Albemarle (ALB) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Vale (VALE) at 0.23 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Albemarle (ALB) at 1.90 prices around its industry’s middle — VALE costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

ALB

Materials industry group

1.90

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

VALE

Materials industry group

0.23

Max
9.62
Q3
4.34
Median
1.87
Q1
0.73
VALE
0.23
Min
0.00
Loading chart…
Albemarle (ALB) vs. Vale (VALE): 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 Vale (VALE) at 1.27 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

VALE

Materials industry group

1.27

Max
6.59
Q3
3.55
Median
2.08
VALE
1.27
Q1
1.26
Min
-0.17
Loading chart…
Albemarle (ALB) vs. Vale (VALE): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Vale (VALE)
MetricALBVALE
P/E Ratio (TTM)23.9272.44
P/S Ratio (TTM)1.900.23
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.411.27
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)10.67%17.51%