Albemarle Corporation vs ICL GROUP LTD., two Chemicals stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Albemarle produces lithium and is losing money this cycle, with net margin at -4.24% as lithium prices sit in a trough; there is no earnings multiple to lean on, only a 1.57 price-to-book. ICL Group mines specialty minerals and potash out of Israel and stays profitable, if thinly, at a 3.91% net margin and a 4.49% return on equity. Both run conservative balance sheets: ICL carries no net debt, Albemarle a modest 0.19 debt-to-equity. The sharper split is cash. ICL throws off a 16.3% free-cash yield against Albemarle's 3.63%, and trades close to book at 1.04. These are two miners priced for patience rather than growth.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | ALB | ICL |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $126.04 | $4.86 |
| Market cap | $14.9B | $6.3B |
| Sector | Chemicals | Chemicals |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | — | -3.5% |
| P/E | — | 27.0 |
| P/B | 1.48 | 1.00 |
| P/S | 2.72 | 0.88 |
| EV/EBITDA | 31.5 | 4.6 |
| Revenue growth | +9.5% | +3.6% |
| Gross margin | 35.1% | 30.6% |
| Operating margin | 16.3% | 8.1% |
| Net margin | -4.2% | 3.9% |
| Return on equity | -2.3% | 4.5% |
| Return on assets | -1.5% | 2.3% |
| Return on invested capital | -1.0% | 5.9% |
| FCF yield | 3.9% | 16.8% |
| Dividend yield | 1.3% | — |
| Debt / equity | 0.19 | 0.00 |
| Current ratio | 2.07 | 1.33 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 7.00 | 1.44 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 4 / 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.