ALB vs SQM
Albemarle and Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile, 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.
- SQMKeepsales growth, past year59%
Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile's sales grew 59% over the past year, but analysts expect profit to fall 7.7% next year.
Percent return
- ALB−6.56%
- SQM+9.13%
Nov 11, 2025 to Nov 11, 2026
Where they differ
- Company size: ALB $14.0B, SQM $8.22B.
- Sales growth, 1 yr: ALB +24%, SQM +59%. SQM is ahead.
- Price for $1 of next year's profit: ALB $9, SQM $7. SQM is ahead.
- Profit per $1 of sales: ALB 17¢, SQM 39¢. SQM is ahead.
- Cash minus debt: ALB −$152M, SQM −$965M. ALB is ahead.
- Price change, 1 yr: ALB −6.6%, SQM +9.1%. SQM is ahead. S&P 500 +12%.
- How much the price swings: ALB 41%, SQM 40%. SQM is ahead.
| Measure | ALBAlbemarle | SQMSociedad Química y Minera de Chile |
|---|---|---|
| Price and returns | ||
| Price | $95.95 | $54.75 |
| Today | Best in this row: +1.07% | +0.58% |
| 1 month | Best in this row: −5.23% | −14.35% |
| 3 months | −25.58% | Best in this row: −22.75% |
| This year | −31.58% | Best in this row: −17.99% |
| 1 year | −6.56% | Best in this row: +9.13% |
| 5 years | −62.54% | Best in this row: +3.59% |
| From 52-week high | −55.2% | −41.0% |
| How much it swings (90 days) | 41% | Best in this row: 40% |
| Valuation | ||
| Market value | $14.0B | $8.22B |
| Price vs last year's earnings | 25.9× | Best in this row: 11.9× |
| Price vs next year's expected earnings | 9.1× | Best in this row: 7.3× |
| Price to sales | Best in this row: 1.9× | 2.4× |
| Price vs cash it brings in | Best in this row: 8.1× | 8.4× |
| Company value vs operating profit | 7.0× | Best in this row: 5.8× |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue growth, 1 year | +24.4% | Best in this row: +59.0% |
| Revenue growth a year, last 3 years | Best in this row: −11.1% | −24.7% |
| Earnings per share growth, last year | +69.4% | Best in this row: +135.9% |
| Earnings per share growth expected next year | −23.9% | Best in this row: −7.7% |
| Profitability | ||
| Kept from sales after making the product | 26.2% | Best in this row: 42.2% |
| Kept as operating profit | 17.1% | Best in this row: 38.7% |
| Kept as final profit | 8.4% | Best in this row: 20.6% |
| Kept as spare cash | 23.5% | Best in this row: 29.1% |
| Profit on shareholders' money | 7.0% | Best in this row: 21.8% |
| Profit on all money put in | 6.9% | Best in this row: 16.9% |
| Balance sheet | ||
| Net cash (cash minus debt) | Best in this row: −$152M | −$965M |
| Debt for each $1 of shareholders' money | Best in this row: 0.18× | 0.61× |
| Short-term assets per $1 of bills due | 2.34× | Best in this row: 2.61× |
| Dividend yield | 1.65% | Best in this row: 4.99% |
| Share of profit paid as dividends | 38% | Best in this row: 34% |
| 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. | Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile's sales grew 59% over the past year, but analysts expect profit to fall 7.7% next year. |
| Where the price sits | in the full report | in the full report |
| Our overall score (out of 100) | 60 | Best in this row: 70 |
| Our value score | 65 | Best in this row: 89 |
| Our growth score | Best in this row: 65 | 60 |
| Our quality score | 45 | Best in this row: 80 |
| Our price trend score | 61 | Best in this row: 62 |
| Earnings and analysts | ||
| Next earnings | – | Nov 17AMCin 5 days |
| Analyst consensus | Buy | Buy |
| To average analyst target | +55.4% | Best in this row: +56.5% |
| Average analyst target | $149.07 | $85.67 |
| Analysts rating it a buy | Best in this row: 61% | 56% |
| Buy ratings added, 3 months | +1 | Best in this row: +2 |
| Analysts covering | 14 | 5 |
SQM: faster growth at a lower P/E
Our pick of these: Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile
Sales growth +59.0% vs +24.4%
ALB +24.4%, SQM +59.0%.Forward P/E per point of sales growth 0.12 vs 0.37
ALB 0.37, SQM 0.12.Keeps 38.7% of sales as operating profit, vs 17.1%
ALB 17.1%, SQM 38.7%.Where it loses: ALB has a better call from us, Buy more vs Keep
Cover this stock to see the full report
The call, its reasons and what would change it are free for everyone. The price zones, the whole brief and how the call has moved come with covering a stock. Use one of your three covered slots, or go Pro for every stock.
Prices as of yesterday, 3:59 PM ET. A view, not advice.