ALB vs. VMC: Albemarle vs. Vulcan Materials Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Albemarle (ALB) and Vulcan Materials (VMC) 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 Vulcan Materials (VMC) both fall under the Materials industry group, but ALB is classified in Chemicals while VMC is classified in Construction Materials.

Company profile comparison for Albemarle (ALB) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Profile Item	ALB	VMC
Name	Albemarle Corporation	Vulcan Materials Company
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Construction Materials
GICS Sub-Industry	Specialty Chemicals	Construction Materials
Market Capitalization	11.71 billion USD	36.29 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	February 22, 1994	February 21, 1973
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ALB

VMC

GSPC

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC), 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 Vulcan Materials (VMC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	ALB	VMC
Total Return (1Y)	1.28%	2.25%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-3.80%	12.53%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-17.74%	8.08%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ALB

VMC

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	ALB	VMC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	53.59%	30.13%
Beta (5Y)	1.32	0.98
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-83.90%	-32.50%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.40M	1.16M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ALB and VMC 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 Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	ALB	VMC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.06	-0.07
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.08	-0.09

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 7.05% and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 12.88% 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%

VMC

Materials industry group

12.88%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
VMC: 12.88%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 11.08% and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 13.78% 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%

VMC

Materials industry group

13.78%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
VMC: 13.78%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 11.74% and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 23.95% 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%

VMC

Materials industry group

23.95%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
VMC: 23.95%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	ALB	VMC
ROE (TTM)	7.05%	12.88%
ROA (TTM)	3.95%	5.89%
Net Margin (TTM)	11.08%	13.78%
Operating Margin (TTM)	11.74%	23.95%
Gross Margin (TTM)	26.17%	27.48%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 7.06% 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. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Vulcan Materials (VMC) reports EPS growth of 18.39%, ranked against its industry; Albemarle (ALB) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	ALB	VMC
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-4.37%	7.06%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-11.10%	2.77%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	18.39%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	23.46%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Albemarle (ALB) at 2.34 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 1.43 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for VMC.

ALB

Materials industry group

2.34

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

VMC

Materials industry group

1.43

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
VMC: 1.43
Min: 0.16

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 0.18 and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 0.63 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

VMC

Materials industry group

0.63

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
VMC: 0.63
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	ALB	VMC
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.34	1.43
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.18	0.63
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.09	2.27

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 1.65% and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 0.72% 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%

VMC

Materials industry group

0.72%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
VMC: 0.72%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 39.16% and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 24.26% 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%

VMC

Materials industry group

24.26%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
VMC: 24.26%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	ALB	VMC
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.65%	0.72%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	39.16%	24.26%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Albemarle (ALB) at 23.92 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 33.46 sits in the richer quartile — VMC needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

ALB

Materials industry group

23.92

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

VMC

Materials industry group

33.46

Max: 59.00
VMC: 33.46
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Albemarle (ALB) at 1.90 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 4.53 sits in the pricier quartile — VMC costs more per dollar of sales.

ALB

Materials industry group

1.90

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

VMC

Materials industry group

4.53

Max: 9.62
VMC: 4.53
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Albemarle (ALB) at 1.41 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 4.31 carries an above-peer premium to book — VMC is pricier on assets.

ALB

Materials industry group

1.41

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
ALB: 1.41
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

VMC

Materials industry group

4.31

Max: 6.59
VMC: 4.31
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	ALB	VMC
P/E Ratio (TTM)	23.92	33.46
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.90	4.53
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.41	4.31
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	10.67%	1.96%