ALB vs ECL
Albemarle and Ecolab, side by side.
Prices and company dataas of yesterday's close
- ALBBuy moresales growth, past year24%
Albemarle's sales grew 24% over the past year, and it pays a 1.6% dividend that it has raised for 31 years in a row.
- ECLKeepsales growth, past year9.3%
Ecolab's sales grew 9.3% over the past year and analysts expect profit to grow 15% next year.
Percent return
- ALB−6.56%
- ECL+18.76%
Nov 11, 2025 to Nov 11, 2026
Where they differ
- Company size: ALB $14.0B, ECL $79.9B.
- Sales growth, 1 yr: ALB +24%, ECL +9.3%. ALB is ahead.
- Price for $1 of next year's profit: ALB $9, ECL $34. ALB is ahead.
- Profit per $1 of sales: ALB 17¢, ECL 18¢. ECL is ahead.
- Cash minus debt: ALB −$152M, ECL −$13.2B. ALB is ahead.
- Price change, 1 yr: ALB −6.6%, ECL +19%. ECL is ahead. S&P 500 +12%.
- How much the price swings: ALB 41%, ECL 21%. ECL is ahead.
| Measure | ALBAlbemarle | ECLEcolab |
|---|---|---|
| Price and returns | ||
| Price | $95.95 | $307.81 |
| Today | Best in this row: +1.07% | +0.58% |
| 1 month | −5.23% | Best in this row: +9.24% |
| 3 months | −25.58% | Best in this row: +8.43% |
| This year | −31.58% | Best in this row: +18.22% |
| 1 year | −6.56% | Best in this row: +18.76% |
| 5 years | −62.54% | Best in this row: +40.07% |
| From 52-week high | −55.2% | −2.3% |
| How much it swings (90 days) | 41% | Best in this row: 21% |
| Valuation | ||
| Market value | $14.0B | $79.9B |
| Price vs last year's earnings | Best in this row: 25.9× | 38.5× |
| Price vs next year's expected earnings | Best in this row: 9.1× | 33.7× |
| Price vs earnings, adjusted for growth | – | 2.34× |
| Price to sales | Best in this row: 1.9× | 4.8× |
| Price vs cash it brings in | Best in this row: 8.1× | 47.0× |
| Company value vs operating profit | Best in this row: 7.0× | 22.8× |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth, 1 year | Best in this row: +24.4% | +9.3% |
| Revenue growth a year, last 3 years | −11.1% | Best in this row: +4.3% |
| Earnings per share growth, last year | Best in this row: +69.4% | +0.4% |
| Earnings per share growth expected next year | −23.9% | Best in this row: +15.3% |
| Profitability | ||
| Kept from sales after making the product | 26.2% | Best in this row: 44.0% |
| Kept as operating profit | 17.1% | Best in this row: 18.5% |
| Kept as final profit | 8.4% | Best in this row: 12.0% |
| Kept as spare cash | Best in this row: 23.5% | 10.3% |
| Profit on shareholders' money | 7.0% | Best in this row: 20.8% |
| Profit on all money put in | 6.9% | Best in this row: 12.1% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net cash (cash minus debt) | Best in this row: −$152M | −$13.2B |
| Debt for each $1 of shareholders' money | Best in this row: 0.18× | 1.33× |
| Short-term assets per $1 of bills due | Best in this row: 2.34× | 1.11× |
| Dividend yield | Best in this row: 1.65% | 0.97% |
| Share of profit paid as dividends | Best in this row: 38% | 40% |
| Our readPro | ||
| Our call | Buy more | Keep |
| Why | Albemarle's sales grew 24% over the past year, and it pays a 1.6% dividend that it has raised for 31 years in a row. | Ecolab's sales grew 9.3% over the past year and analysts expect profit to grow 15% next year. |
| Where the price sits | in the full report | in the full report |
| Our overall score (out of 100) | Best in this row: 60 | 55 |
| Our value score | Best in this row: 65 | 31 |
| Our growth score | Best in this row: 65 | 46 |
| Our quality score | 45 | Best in this row: 78 |
| Our price trend score | 61 | Best in this row: 66 |
| Earnings and analysts | ||
| Analyst consensus | Buy | Buy |
| To average analyst target | Best in this row: +55.4% | +7.1% |
| Average analyst target | $149.07 | $329.64 |
| Analysts rating it a buy | 61% | Best in this row: 83% |
| Buy ratings added, 3 months | Best in this row: +1 | 0 |
| Analysts covering | 14 | 12 |
ALB: our only Buy more, with faster sales growth
Our pick of these: Albemarle
Sales growth +24.4% vs +9.3%
ALB +24.4%, ECL +9.3%.Forward P/E per point of sales growth 0.37 vs 3.61
ALB 0.37, ECL 3.61.+55.4% to the average analyst target, vs +7.1%
ALB +55.4%, ECL +7.1%.Where it loses: ECL has a better past year, +18.8% vs −6.6%
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Prices as of yesterday, 3:59 PM ET. A view, not advice.