ALB vs SHW: Dividend Comparison

At $166.33 per share, $10,000 buys about 60.1 shares of Albemarle Corp (ALB). Each share pays $1.62 per year in dividends, so the position starts out generating roughly $97 per year — about $8 a month.

At $368.50 per share, $10,000 buys about 27.1 shares of Sherwin Williams Co (SHW). Each share pays $3.16 per year in dividends, so the position starts out generating roughly $86 per year — about $7 a month.

ALB is the larger income stream from day one: $12 per year more on the same $10,000 invested.

Albemarle Corp (ALB) has raised its dividend about 0.9% a year over the past five years. If that pace held, the $102 per year that $10,000 generates today at the current 1.02% yield would reach $112 per year by 2036 — a 1.1% yield on the original cost.

Sherwin Williams Co (SHW) has raised its dividend about 9.5% a year over the past five years. If that pace held, the $87 per year that $10,000 generates today at the current 0.87% yield would reach $214 per year by 2036 — a 2.1% yield on the original cost.

On those trailing rates, SHW pays more in 2036: $214 versus $112 per year. The projection assumes each five-year growth rate persists and no dividends are reinvested — real payouts will differ.

Sherwin Williams Co (SHW) yields less today (0.87% vs 1.02%) but has grown its dividend faster — 9.5% vs 0.9% a year over the past five years. If both trends continued, a $10,000 position in SHW would start out-earning the same position in ALB around 2029 (roughly 3 years from now), paying about $114 per year at the crossover. Before that point, ALB pays more each year; after it, the gap compounds in SHW's favor.

Albemarle Corp (ALB) pays out about 58% of its earnings as dividends, which implies roughly 1.7x earnings coverage.

Sherwin Williams Co (SHW) earns $10.28 per share against $3.16 paid out in dividends — 3.3x coverage (a 31% payout ratio).

SHW's wider coverage leaves more cushion if earnings dip. As a rule of thumb, coverage below about 1.5x (a payout ratio above ~65%) is where a dividend starts to look stretched — worth watching for ALB if earnings weaken.

For income you need right now, Albemarle Corp (ALB) leads: $100,000 invested today pays about $85 a month at the current 1.02% yield, versus $72 a month from Sherwin Williams Co (SHW) at 0.87%.

With a decade or more before the income is needed, SHW's faster dividend growth (9.5% vs 0.9% a year) matters more than the starting yield — raises compound into the larger paycheck over time.

On consistency: ALB has raised its dividend 23 consecutive years; SHW has raised its dividend 40 consecutive years.

Many income investors simply hold both — the mix pairs current yield with growth and spreads single-name risk. Whichever way you lean, dividends are never guaranteed; recheck the payout each quarter rather than setting and forgetting.