Albemarle Corporation (ALB) Stock Analysis & Winston Score

Albemarle is a chemical company that mines and processes lithium, bromine, and other specialty chemicals. Its biggest business is lithium, which is a key ingredient in the batteries that power electric vehicles and smartphones. The company sells to battery makers, automakers, and industrial manufacturers around the world.

Albemarle makes money by selling these processed chemicals directly to manufacturers under long-term contracts and on the open market. It operates globally, with major assets in Chile, Australia, and the United States, making it one of the largest lithium producers in the world. The company's main growth driver is demand for electric vehicle batteries, but its biggest risk is lithium price volatility — prices collapsed sharply after 2022, which is why margins and returns on capital are currently low.

Winston Score History

Politician Trades

3 trades / 12mo

3 Congressional buys and 0 sells on ALB in the last 12 months.

Unlock the full Smart Money Map — every trade plotted on the price chart with politicians, amounts and returns since each trade. Founder's Deal is $57/mo locked for life.

Unlock politician trades

Growth Profile

For growth stock investors

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+32.7% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Revenue accelerating

EPS Growth

>+1,000% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

EPS growth accelerating

R&D Spend

$51M/ year

↓ Declining (-41% vs prior year)

1.0% of revenue

Below sector average (3%)

R&D spend declining — could signal cost-cutting or efficiency

Insider Activity

0.3%ownership

→ Flat

Insiders holding steady — not selling despite ability to

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

$1.1B cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Revenue accelerating

Albemarle Corporation grew revenue 33% year-over-year and the growth rate is speeding up. That's the kind of momentum growth investors look for — the question is whether margins can follow.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Share count broadly stable

+1.0% over 4y

The share count has stayed roughly flat over this period — little dilution or buyback activity.

Diluted shares outstanding: 116.5M (2021) → 117.7M (2025)

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

Each metric is explained in plain language so you know exactly what you're looking at. Start your free trial now.

Quality

Gross Margin

35.1%

Modest — 35.1% gross margin

Operating Margin

16.3%

Healthy — 16.3% operating margin

ROCE

2.0%

Weak — 2.0% return on capital

ROIC between 0% and 5%. They earn a few cents back per dollar invested in the business.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Growth

Sales YoY

+7.9%

Steady sales growth (7.9% YoY)

EPS YoY

N/A

Data not available

EPS Consistency

2/8 quarters

Earnings rarely grow — volatile business

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Cash Flow

Cash Conversion

N/A

Data not available

FCF Margin

10.5%

Modest free cash flow (10.5%)

FCF margin between 10% and 20%. Every $100 in sales becomes $10 to $20 in real cash.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Stability

Debt / Equity

0.19

Conservative — low debt load (0.19)

Interest Cover

2.43x

Tight — interest eats into profit (2.4x)

Interest coverage between 1 and 3. Profits cover interest, but with little room to spare.

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

N/M

Negative earnings — P/E not meaningful

P/E vs Forward

N/A

not available

Data not available

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

Dividends

Dividend Yield

1.25%

Small dividend — 1.25% yield

Modest yield. The bulk of any return needs to come from price appreciation.

Dividend Growth

+0.0%

Dividend flat

Full breakdown available with your free trial

See every metric, trend, and what it means for this stock.

Try free

🔒 See full fundamentals and if they are improving or declining — click here for your free trial now.

Start free trial