Compare Albemarle Corp. (ALB) vs Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) Price & Performance
Price performance
Price movement over the last 24 hours
Key statistics
Key statistics
Albemarle Corp. vs Costco Wholesale Corporation — how do they compare? Albemarle Corp. trades at $128.41 (market cap $15.22B), while Costco Wholesale Corporation trades at $955.06 (market cap $420.20B). The key difference: Costco Wholesale Corporation is far larger — about 27.6× Albemarle Corp.'s market cap, and Albemarle Corp. pays the higher dividend (1.26%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ALB | COST | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $15.22B | $420.20B |
Sector | Basic Materials | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $215.62 | $1.09K |
52-Week Low | $67.30 | $849.63 |
Enterprise Value | $18.24B | $408.34B |
Dividend Yield | 1.26% | 0.62% |
Aura AI Summary
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Aura AI Summary
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Albemarle (ALB) is trading at $129.02, down 4.82% over the past 24 hours amid bearish technical signals. The stock shows mixed fundamentals with a low P/E of 5.12 and negative net income margin of -4.24% for 2025, though Q1 2026 earnings beat expectations. Recent news highlights a focus on debt reduction and energy storage system demand as lithium prices rebound. Cash flow improved in 2025 with net cash flow of $425.77 million, while the balance sheet reflects a debt-to-asset ratio of 19.8%.
The outlook for ALB hinges on lithium price recovery and execution in energy storage markets. Analyst consensus is mixed with a $227.10 price target suggesting significant upside, but risks include volatile lithium markets and ongoing profitability challenges. The stock's current level near key support at $128 may attract value investors, though macroeconomic and commodity pressures remain headwinds.
Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) trades at $955.45, up 0.55% with a bearish technical signal despite strong fundamentals. The company reported solid March sales growth of 11.3% year-over-year, reaching $28.41 billion, while maintaining consistent revenue and earnings growth. Analyst consensus remains strongly bullish with 65.5% buy ratings and a $1,110 price target, though valuation metrics appear elevated with a P/E of 47.7.
The stock offers long-term growth potential driven by membership fee increases and expanding warehouse footprint, but faces near-term headwinds from high valuation and technical weakness. Key risks include competitive pressure and economic sensitivity, while institutional accumulation supports the bullish thesis. Current price sits near pivot point support at $953.
Returns comparison
Trailing returns across standard periods
Returns comparison
Trailing returns across standard periods
Top news
Latest headlines on both assets
Top news
Latest headlines on both assets
About Albemarle Corp.
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 →About Costco Wholesale Corporation
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 →
