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Compare Stocks › ALB vs BRK-B

Albemarle Corporation (ALB) vs Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK-B)

ALB
Albemarle Corporation
$163.26
VS
BRK-B
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
$481.48

Rewards

ALB
    BRK-B
    • ★Each dollar of retained earnings has created $1.66 of market value — management is creating shareholder value.
    • ★Net debt/EBITDA of -2.2x means the company holds more cash than debt — a net cash position.

    Risks

    ALB
    • ⚠ROIC has declined by 16.9 percentage points over the observed period, which may signal competitive erosion.
    • ⚠Gross margin of 13.1% is low, suggesting a competitive or commodity-like market with limited pricing power.
    • ⚠Albemarle Corporation scores only 2/100 on the Economic Moat Score, suggesting limited durable competitive advantages.
    BRK-B
    • ⚠Berkshire Hathaway Inc. scores only 16/100 on the Economic Moat Score, suggesting limited durable competitive advantages.
    • ⚠Trailing P/E of 15.5x is 75% above the historical average of 8.9x — the stock trades at a premium to its own history.

    Key Valuation Metrics

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    ALB
    BRK-B
    Valuation
    $692.47M
    Free Cash Flow
    $36.80B
    3.60%
    FCF Yield
    3.54%
    N/A
    Trailing P/E
    15.50
    18.65
    Forward P/E
    22.11
    Quality & Moat
    0.70%
    ROIC
    11.31%
    -6.93%
    ROE
    9.30%
    13.10%
    Gross Margin
    26.15%
    N/A
    PEG Ratio
    N/A
    Balance Sheet Safety
    0.34
    Debt / Equity
    0.19
    N/A
    Interest Coverage
    N/A
    2.31
    Net Debt / EBITDA
    -2.15
    0.99%
    Dividend Yield
    N/A
    ALB: 1Ties: 2BRK-B: 6
    ALBBRK-B

    Historical Fundamentals

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    ALB

    Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

    BRK-B

    Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

    Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

    $1 Retained Earnings Test

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    ALB
    N/A
    Net losses over 3 years — test not applicable
    Company had negative cumulative retained earnings
    Σ Retained
    $-972.3M
    Δ Market Cap
    $-8.76B
    Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
    > $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
    BRK-B
    $1.66
    created per $1 retained over 3 years
    Value Creator
    Σ Retained
    $252.19B
    Δ Market Cap
    +$417.98B
    Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
    > $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

    Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
    > $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

    Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis

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    ALB
    20.1% Overvalued
    Price is 20.1% above estimated fair value
    Current Price: $163.26
    Fair Value: $135.89
    Strongly undervalued
    Undervalued
    Fairly valued
    Overvalued
    Strongly overvalued
    BRK-B
    31.1% Margin of Safety
    Price is 31.1% below estimated fair value
    Current Price: $481.48
    Fair Value: $699.14
    Strongly undervalued
    Undervalued
    Fairly valued
    Overvalued
    Strongly overvalued

    Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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    ALB

    What growth rate is the market pricing in at $163?

    +13.3%
    Market-Implied FCF Growth Rate

    Market pricing in significantly higher growth than history — aggressive.

    BRK-B

    What growth rate is the market pricing in at $481?

    +0.7%
    Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
    Standard FCF implies +8.8%

    The market implies +0.7% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

    Standard FCF implies a demanding +8.8%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

    Economic Moat Score

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    ALB
    2/100
    No Moat
    70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

    No durable competitive advantage detected. The business shows limited evidence of pricing power, consistent returns, or capital efficiency.

    Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 5 years of fundamental data.
    BRK-B
    16/100
    No Moat
    70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

    No durable moat detected, though reinvestment efficiency shows some competitive positioning. The business lacks consistent evidence of sustainable advantages.

    Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 5 years of fundamental data.

    Forensic Accounting

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    ALB
    -3.60
    Unlikely Manipulator
    Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

    M-Score Trend

    Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
    BRK-B
    -2.41
    Unlikely Manipulator
    Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

    M-Score Trend

    Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

    Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

    Ownership Breakdown

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    ALB
    Insiders 0.4%Institutions 94.7%Retail & Other 4.9%
    No. of Institutional Holders1,210
    High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
    BRK-B
    Insiders 0.3%Institutions 66.2%Retail & Other 33.5%
    No. of Institutional Holders5,852
    High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

    High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

    Insider Buying Activity

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    ALB
    0
    Buys (3M)
    1
    Buys (12M)
    Total value (12M): $17,869
    WOLFF ALEJANDRO DANIEL
    Director
    $17,869
    @ $74.15 · 2025-10-01
    Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
    BRK-B
    0
    Buys (3M)
    0
    Buys (12M)
    No open market insider purchases found.
    Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

    Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

    Insider Selling Activity

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    ALB
    3
    Sells (3M)
    5
    Sells (12M)
    Total value (12M): $4.37M
    MASTERS JERRY KENT JR.
    Chief Executive Officer
    $2.01M
    @ $170.81 · 2026-03-10
    NORRIS ERIC S.
    Officer
    $941,741
    @ $165.45 · 2026-02-20
    ANDERSON MELISSA HANFT
    Officer
    $1.38M
    @ $163.71 · 2026-02-13
    KRUPA ANDER C
    General Counsel
    $18,060
    @ $105.00 · 2025-10-24
    KRUPA ANDER C
    General Counsel
    $11,020
    @ $95.00 · 2025-10-09
    MASTERS JERRY KENT JR.
    Chief Executive Officer
    $255,328
    @ $101.12 · 2024-12-05
    JOHNSON NETHA N
    Chief Operating Officer
    $112,403
    @ $106.04 · 2024-11-19
    MUMMERT MARK RICHARD
    Officer
    $114,250
    @ $135.53 · 2024-05-14
    BARICHIVICH JOHN CLARENCE III
    Officer
    $194,951
    @ $132.17 · 2024-05-13
    Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
    BRK-B
    0
    Sells (3M)
    0
    Sells (12M)
    No open market insider sales found.
    Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

    Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.

    🎭 Mr. Market's Mood

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    ALB
    FearGreed
    😨Fear(40/100)

    "Market is pessimistic — investigate whether fears are temporary or structural"

    Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
    BRK-B
    FearGreed
    😐Neutral(48/100)

    "Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

    Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

    Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

    ⚖️ Buffett Signal

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    ALB
    ⚪Awaiting DCF Data

    The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

    DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Fear (40)
    BRK-B
    ⚪Awaiting DCF Data

    The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

    DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (48)
    View ALB Full AnalysisView BRK-B Full Analysis
    Albemarle Corporation (ALB) vs Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK-B) Stock Comparison | SafetyMargin.io