Albemarle's Stock Plunges as Earnings Growth Lags and Downgrades Hit

Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB) shareholders have experienced a drop in share price of 28% in the last quarter, but over the past three years, the company's share price has outperformed the market index with a gain of 79%. However, the 83% total shareholder return (TSR) over the last three years actually lags behind the company's year-over-year earnings per share (EPS) growth of 101%. This suggests that market sentiment has cooled on the stock, reflected in its low P/E ratio of 5.02. Despite the recent sell-off, long-term shareholders have still seen a gain of 13% per year over the past five years.