Albemarle Corporation vs AIR PRODUCTS AND CHEMICALS, INC., two Chemicals stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where ALB and APD diverge most: on operating margin, ALB reads 16.3% and APD reads -66.3%; on return on invested capital, ALB reads -1.0% and APD reads 10.1%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's ALB price has a different growth bar priced in than APD (+22.5% implied for ALB vs +25.0% for APD); the higher figure is the steeper assumption to clear, not a better or worse stock. What ALB's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). What APD's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | ALB | APD |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $117.68 | $294.90 |
| Market cap | $14.0B | $65.7B |
| Sector | Chemicals | Chemicals |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +22.5% | +25.0% |
| P/B | 1.38 | 3.96 |
| P/S | 2.54 | 5.21 |
| EV/EBITDA | 29.6 | 25.9 |
| Revenue growth | +9.5% | +4.6% |
| Gross margin | 35.1% | — |
| Operating margin | 16.3% | -66.3% |
| Net margin | -4.2% | -0.4% |
| Return on equity | -2.3% | -0.3% |
| Return on assets | -1.5% | -0.1% |
| Return on invested capital | -1.0% | 10.1% |
| FCF yield | 4.1% | -2.4% |
| Dividend yield | 1.4% | 2.4% |
| Debt / equity | 0.19 | 0.01 |
| Current ratio | 2.07 | 1.08 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.00 | 2.37 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 6 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.