Albemarle Corp. vs Costco Wholesale Corporation — how do they compare? Albemarle Corp. trades at $131.06 (market cap $15.27B), while Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $943.45 (market cap $418.79B). The key difference: Costco Wholesale Corporation is far larger — about 27.4× Albemarle Corp.'s market cap, and Albemarle Corp. pays the higher dividend (1.27%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ALB | COST | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $15.27B | $418.79B |
Sector | Basic Materials | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $215.62 | $1.09K |
52-Week Low | $72.58 | $849.63 |
Enterprise Value | $17.75B | $406.93B |
Dividend Yield | 1.27% | 0.62% |
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Costco (COST) trades at $952.75, up 0.52% with a neutral technical outlook. The stock shows strong fundamentals with revenue growth from $254.5B in 2024 to $275.2B in 2025 and net income reaching $8.1B. Recent March sales surged 11.3% year-over-year to $28.41B. Valuation metrics remain elevated with P/E at 47.93 and P/S at 1.44. Analyst consensus is strongly bullish with 65.5% buy ratings and a $1,120 price target.
The investment case centers on Costco's membership-driven profit engine and consistent execution, though high valuation presents near-term risk. Upside potential exists if the company maintains its premium growth trajectory, while any earnings disappointment could trigger valuation compression. The recent membership fee increase and strong renewal rates support margin expansion prospects.
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Albemarle is the world's largest lithium producer. Our outlook for robust lithium demand is predicated upon increased demand for electric vehicle batteries. Albemarle produces lithium from its salt brine deposits in Chile and the U.S. and its hard rock joint venture mines in Australia. Albemarle is also a global leader in the production of bromine, used in flame retardants. The company is also a major producer of oil refining catalysts.
Read more on ALB →The leading warehouse club, Costco has 815 stores worldwide (at the end of fiscal 2021), with most sales derived in the United States (72%) and Canada (14%). It sells memberships that allow customers to shop in its warehouses, which feature low prices on a limited product assortment. Costco mainly caters to individual shoppers, but roughly 20% of paid members carry business memberships. Food and sundries accounted for 40% of fiscal 2021 sales, with non-food merchandise 29%, warehouse ancillary and other businesses (such as fuel and pharmacy) nearly 17%, and fresh food 14%. Costco's warehouses average around 146,000 square feet
Read more on COST →