Albemarle Corporation vs Element Solutions Inc, two Chemicals stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Two specialty names, two very different cycles. Albemarle mines and refines lithium, and this cycle the price of lithium fell far enough to push net margin to -4.24%, so earnings are absent and book value carries the story at a 1.57 price-to-book. Element Solutions sells chemistry for electronics and surface finishes, still profitable at a 5.32% net margin and a 5.41% return on equity, but the market pays 73.68 times earnings and 4.05 times book for it. Albemarle carries light debt at 0.19 to equity and generates a 3.63% free-cash yield through the trough; Element's free cash is slightly negative at -1.28%. Albemarle is a battered commodity producer, Element Solutions a richly priced grower, and their price tags reflect the split.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | ALB | ESI |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $126.04 | $39.83 |
| Market cap | $14.9B | $9.7B |
| Sector | Chemicals | Chemicals |
| Stage | Mature | Growth |
| P/E | — | 64.2 |
| P/B | 1.48 | 3.53 |
| P/S | 2.72 | 3.47 |
| EV/EBITDA | 31.5 | 21.8 |
| Revenue growth | +9.5% | +13.4% |
| Gross margin | 35.1% | 38.4% |
| Operating margin | 16.3% | 13.3% |
| Net margin | -4.2% | 5.3% |
| Return on equity | -2.3% | 5.4% |
| Return on assets | -1.5% | 2.6% |
| Return on invested capital | -1.0% | 5.3% |
| FCF yield | 3.9% | -1.5% |
| Dividend yield | 1.3% | 0.8% |
| Debt / equity | 0.19 | 0.75 |
| Current ratio | 2.07 | 2.68 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.00 | 2.48 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 5 / 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.