H.B. Fuller (FUL) Competitors

Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) and H.B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) are both basic materials companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, media sentiment, risk, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, community ranking, earnings, valuation and profitability.

Does the media refer more to ALB or FUL?

In the previous week, H.B. Fuller had 24 more articles in the media than Albemarle. MarketBeat recorded 26 mentions for H.B. Fuller and 2 mentions for Albemarle. Albemarle's average media sentiment score of 0.50 beat H.B. Fuller's score of -0.04 indicating that Albemarle is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Albemarle	0 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
H.B. Fuller	4 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	8 Neutral mention(s)	6 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Which has more volatility & risk, ALB or FUL?

Albemarle has a beta of 1.58, indicating that its stock price is 58% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, H.B. Fuller has a beta of 1.43, indicating that its stock price is 43% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do insiders & institutionals believe in ALB or FUL?

92.9% of Albemarle shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 95.9% of H.B. Fuller shares are held by institutional investors. 0.4% of Albemarle shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.0% of H.B. Fuller shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Does the MarketBeat Community prefer ALB or FUL?

Albemarle received 459 more outperform votes than H.B. Fuller when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 62.80% of users gave Albemarle an outperform vote while only 55.63% of users gave H.B. Fuller an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Albemarle	Outperform Votes 775 62.80%	Underperform Votes 459 37.20%
H.B. Fuller	Outperform Votes 316 55.63%	Underperform Votes 252 44.37%

Which has stronger earnings and valuation, ALB or FUL?

Albemarle has higher revenue and earnings than H.B. Fuller. Albemarle is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than H.B. Fuller, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Albemarle	$9.62B	1.19	$1.57B	-$16.75	-5.82
H.B. Fuller	$3.51B	0.97	$144.91M	$3.24	19.18

Is ALB or FUL more profitable?

H.B. Fuller has a net margin of 5.15% compared to Albemarle's net margin of -28.80%. H.B. Fuller's return on equity of 13.39% beat Albemarle's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Albemarle	-28.80%	1.67%	0.84%
H.B. Fuller	5.15%	13.39%	4.97%

Do analysts rate ALB or FUL?

Albemarle presently has a consensus price target of $115.65, suggesting a potential upside of 18.60%. H.B. Fuller has a consensus price target of $84.20, suggesting a potential upside of 35.50%. Given H.B. Fuller's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe H.B. Fuller is more favorable than Albemarle.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Albemarle	1 Sell rating(s)	15 Hold rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.26
H.B. Fuller	1 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00

Is ALB or FUL a better dividend stock?

Albemarle pays an annual dividend of $1.62 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.7%. H.B. Fuller pays an annual dividend of $0.89 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.4%. Albemarle pays out -9.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. H.B. Fuller pays out 27.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Albemarle has increased its dividend for 30 consecutive years and H.B. Fuller has increased its dividend for 56 consecutive years. Albemarle is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Summary

Albemarle beats H.B. Fuller on 11 of the 21 factors compared between the two stocks.