Albemarle Corp. vs National Beverage Corp. — how do they compare? Albemarle Corp. trades at $128.14 (market cap $15.27B), while National Beverage Corp. trades at $30.9 (market cap $2.89B). The key difference: Albemarle Corp. is far larger — about 5.3× National Beverage Corp.'s market cap, and Albemarle Corp. pays a 1.27% dividend while National Beverage Corp. pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| ALB | FIZZ | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $15.27B | $2.89B |
Sector | Basic Materials | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $215.62 | $46.75 |
52-Week Low | $72.58 | $30.53 |
Enterprise Value | $17.75B | $2.60B |
Dividend Yield | 1.27% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Albemarle (ALB) trades at $128.29, down 2.23% today, with mixed technical signals showing bullish moving averages but overbought RSI levels. The company reported strong Q2 2026 results with EPS of $3.75 beating estimates by 17%, driven by improved lithium pricing and specialty chemicals performance. Despite recent profitability challenges with negative net income in 2025, cash flow generation remains healthy at $1.28B from operations.
Analyst consensus leans positive with 42% buy ratings and $184.50 price target representing 44% upside potential. Key risks include lithium price volatility and Q3 margin pressure, while catalysts include sustained demand for energy storage solutions and ongoing balance sheet improvements through debt reduction.
FIZZ trades at $30.95, down 0.29% on the day, with a bearish technical signal from moving averages and a neutral stance from oscillators. Revenue has been stable around $1.2B annually, with net income margins improving to 15.56% in 2025. Recent earnings have missed expectations in three of the last four quarters, while the company declared a special dividend of $3.25 per share payable in July 2026.
The outlook is mixed; strong profitability and a reasonable P/E of 15.73 offer value, but stagnant growth and bearish analyst consensus pose risks. The stock's performance hinges on reversing earnings misses and addressing competitive pressures in the beverage market.
Trailing returns across standard periods
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 →National Beverage Corp is one of the top 10 non-alcoholic beverage companies in the U.S. Its portfolio skews toward functional drinks (that is those purporting to offer health benefits) and is anchored by the popular LaCroix sparkling water trademark. Other offerings include Rip It energy drinks, Everfresh juices, and soda brands like Shasta and Faygo. The firm controls most of its production and distribution apparatus, with very little outsourcing. In terms of go-to-market, it uses warehouse distribution for big-box retailers, direct-store-delivery for convenience stores and other small outlets, and food-service distributors for the food-service channel (schools, hospitals, restaurants). It is controlled by chairman and CEO Nick Caporella, who owns over 73% of the common stock.
Read more on FIZZ →