Head-To-Head Comparison: Air Products and Chemicals (APD) & The Competition

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD – Get Free Report) is one of 295 publicly-traded companies in the “Chemicals” industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its peers? We will compare Air Products and Chemicals to related businesses based on the strength of its earnings, risk, profitability, institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations and valuation.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

81.7% of Air Products and Chemicals shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 47.5% of shares of all “Chemicals” companies are held by institutional investors. 1.9% of Air Products and Chemicals shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 13.9% of shares of all “Chemicals” companies are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Dividends

Air Products and Chemicals pays an annual dividend of $7.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. Air Products and Chemicals pays out -3,290.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, “Chemicals” companies pay a dividend yield of 3.1% and pay out 109.7% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Air Products and Chemicals has raised its dividend for 43 consecutive years.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Air Products and Chemicals and its peers revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Air Products and Chemicals has higher revenue, but lower earnings than its peers. Air Products and Chemicals is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for Air Products and Chemicals and its peers, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus target price of $333.88, suggesting a potential upside of 5.54%. As a group, “Chemicals” companies have a potential upside of 7.14%. Given Air Products and Chemicals’ peers higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Air Products and Chemicals has less favorable growth aspects than its peers.

Profitability

This table compares Air Products and Chemicals and its peers’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Volatility & Risk

Air Products and Chemicals has a beta of 0.67, meaning that its stock price is 33% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Air Products and Chemicals’ peers have a beta of 0.94, meaning that their average stock price is 6% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Air Products and Chemicals beats its peers on 10 of the 15 factors compared.

Air Products and Chemicals Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. provides atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, equipment, and related services in the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, India, and internationally. The company produces atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, and argon; process gases, such as hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and syngas; and specialty gases for customers in various industries, including refining, chemical, manufacturing, electronics, energy production, medical, food, and metals. It also designs and manufactures equipment for air separation, hydrocarbon recovery and purification, natural gas liquefaction, and liquid helium and liquid hydrogen transport and storage. The company was founded in 1940 and is headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

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