ALB vs. WPM: Albemarle vs. Wheaton Precious Metals Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Company profile comparison for Albemarle (ALB) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Profile Item	ALB	WPM
Name	Albemarle Corporation	Wheaton Precious Metals Corp.
Country/Region	United States	Canada
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Specialty Chemicals	Gold
Market Capitalization	11.71 billion USD	61.91 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	February 22, 1994	July 6, 2005
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ALB

WPM

GSPC

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM), 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 Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Albemarle (ALB) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	ALB	WPM
Total Return (1Y)	1.28%	45.35%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-3.80%	50.60%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-17.74%	29.06%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ALB

WPM

GSPC

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM), 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 Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM). 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 Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) is defensive at 0.49 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	ALB	WPM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	53.59%	52.11%
Beta (5Y)	1.32	0.49
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-83.90%	-43.29%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.40M	2.01M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ALB and WPM 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 Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	ALB	WPM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.06	0.79
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.08	1.14

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 23.10% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Albemarle (ALB) at 7.05% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for WPM.

ALB

Materials industry group

7.05%

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

WPM

Materials industry group

23.10%

Max: 52.88%
WPM: 23.10%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 60.39% converts revenue to bottom-line profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Albemarle (ALB) at 11.08% keeps roughly the typical share for its industry.

ALB

Materials industry group

11.08%

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

WPM

Materials industry group

60.39%

WPM: 60.39%
Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 66.70% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Albemarle (ALB) at 11.74%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

ALB

Materials industry group

11.74%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
ALB: 11.74%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

WPM

Materials industry group

66.70%

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

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	ALB	WPM
ROE (TTM)	7.05%	23.10%
ROA (TTM)	3.95%	15.22%
Net Margin (TTM)	11.08%	60.39%
Operating Margin (TTM)	11.74%	66.70%
Gross Margin (TTM)	26.17%	86.61%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 80.18% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Albemarle (ALB) at -4.37% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in revenue momentum.

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) reports EPS growth of 177.85%, ranked against its industry; Albemarle (ALB) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	ALB	WPM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-4.37%	80.18%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-11.10%	29.53%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	177.85%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	29.83%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Albemarle (ALB) at 2.34 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 0.57 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for WPM.

ALB

Materials industry group

2.34

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

WPM

Materials industry group

0.57

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
WPM: 0.57
Min: 0.16

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 0.18 and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 0.16 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

WPM

Materials industry group

0.16

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
WPM: 0.16
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	ALB	WPM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.34	0.57
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.18	0.16
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.09	0.50

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 1.65% and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 0.57% 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%

WPM

Materials industry group

0.57%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
WPM: 0.57%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 39.16% and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 16.29% 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%

WPM

Materials industry group

16.29%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
WPM: 16.29%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	ALB	WPM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.65%	0.57%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	39.16%	16.29%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Albemarle (ALB) at 23.92 and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 29.63 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

WPM

Materials industry group

29.63

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
WPM: 29.63
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Albemarle (ALB) at 1.90 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 17.86 clears its benchmark range — WPM looks notably rich on 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

WPM

Materials industry group

17.86

WPM: 17.86
Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): 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 Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 6.17 carries an above-peer premium to book — WPM 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

WPM

Materials industry group

6.17

Max: 6.59
WPM: 6.17
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

Albemarle (ALB) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Albemarle (ALB) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	ALB	WPM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	23.92	29.63
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.90	17.86
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.41	6.17
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	10.67%	-5.11%