Air Products and Chemicals (APD - Free Report) is expected to deliver a year-over-year increase in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended June 2026. This widely-known consensus outlook gives a good sense of the company's earnings picture, but how the actual results compare to these estimates is a powerful factor that could impact its near-term stock price.
The earnings report, which is expected to be released on July 30, might help the stock move higher if these key numbers are better than expectations. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower.
While the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call, it's worth handicapping the probability of a positive EPS surprise.
Zacks Consensus EstimateThis seller of gases for industrial, medical and other uses is expected to post quarterly earnings of $3.36 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +8.7%.
Revenues are expected to be $3.18 billion, up 5.1% from the year-ago quarter.
Estimate Revisions TrendThe consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.46% lower over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period.
Investors should keep in mind that an aggregate change may not always reflect the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts.
Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Earnings WhisperEstimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. This insight is at the core of our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction).
The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.
Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only.
A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP.
Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell).
How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Air Products and Chemicals?For Air Products and Chemicals, the Most Accurate Estimate is lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bearish on the company's earnings prospects. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of -0.51%.
On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #3.
So, this combination makes it difficult to conclusively predict that Air Products and Chemicals will beat the consensus EPS estimate.
Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue?Analysts often consider to what extent a company has been able to match consensus estimates in the past while calculating their estimates for its future earnings. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number.
For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Air Products and Chemicals would post earnings of $3.05 per share when it actually produced earnings of $3.20, delivering a surprise of +4.92%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates three times.
Bottom LineAn earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss.
That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.
Air Products and Chemicals doesn't appear a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release.
Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar.
ABN Amro Investment Solutions lessened its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD – Free Report) by 45.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,986 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 12,387 shares during the quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions’ holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $4,353,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 1st quarter valued at $95,000. HORAN Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.8% in the first quarter. HORAN Wealth LLC now owns 11,677 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,352,000 after purchasing an additional 538 shares during the last quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.7% in the first quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft now owns 5,053 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,463,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Long Road Investment Counsel LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.0% during the first quarter. Long Road Investment Counsel LLC now owns 14,960 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,346,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Madison Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 43.9% during the first quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC now owns 40,611 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $11,797,000 after buying an additional 12,384 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Mizuho set a $345.00 target price on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $360.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $326.88.
Read Our Latest Analysis on Air Products and Chemicals
Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance Shares of NYSE APD opened at $297.14 on Thursday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $229.11 and a 12-month high of $314.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $289.31 and a 200 day moving average of $285.05.
Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.06 by $0.14. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 16.11%. The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.69 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Air Products and Chemicals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.250 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.250-3.350 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current year.
Insider Activity In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total transaction of $824,404.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 14,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.
About Air Products and Chemicals (Free Report)
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc is a global supplier of industrial gases and related equipment and services, headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The company produces and delivers atmospheric gases such as oxygen, nitrogen and argon, as well as specialty and process gases used across a wide range of industrial applications. Air Products designs, builds and operates gas production facilities, merchant distribution networks and on-site gas systems for customers that require reliable, high-purity gases and integrated supply solutions.
The company’s product and service portfolio includes packaged and bulk gas supply, pipeline distribution, on-site generation, gas handling and storage equipment, and engineered systems for gas liquefaction and purification.
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, /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of Air Products (NYSE: APD) today declared a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share of common stock.
The dividend is payable on November 9, 2026 to shareholders of record at the close of business on October 1, 2026.
About Air Products
Air Products (NYSE: APD) is a world-leading industrial gases company in operation for over 85 years focused on serving energy, environmental, and emerging markets and generating a cleaner future. The Company supplies essential industrial gases, related equipment and applications expertise to customers in dozens of industries, including refining, chemicals, metals, electronics, manufacturing, medical and food. As the leading global hydrogen supplier, Air Products develops, engineers, builds, owns and operates some of the world's largest hydrogen projects. Through its sale of equipment businesses, the Company also provides turbomachinery, membrane systems and cryogenic containers globally.
Air Products had fiscal 2025 sales of $12.0 billion from operations in approximately 50 countries. For more information, visit airproducts.com or follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook or Instagram.
Key Takeaways Air Products will support new semiconductor fabs and packaging facilities in Taiwan.APD will build four air separation units, gas systems and underground pipelines.Air Products will link new pipelines to its Taiwan network to improve supply reliability. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (APD - Free Report) has announced that its subsidiary, Air Products San Fu, has secured a long-term agreement to support a semiconductor manufacturer's expansion in Taiwan. The project will supply multiple new semiconductor fabrication plants and back-end packaging facilities to help meet rising demand, driven by artificial intelligence and high-performance computing.
As part of the agreement, Air Products San Fu will build, own and operate four air separation units, along with bulk gas supply systems and new underground pipeline infrastructure. The company will provide a range of industrial gases, including nitrogen, oxygen, argon and helium, essential for semiconductor operations. The new pipeline systems will connect to Air Products' existing network in Taiwan, improving supply reliability, operational efficiency and resilience.
The contract further strengthens Air Products' presence in Taiwan, where it has operated for more than seven decades. The company has established a strong foothold across the island's major science parks, including one of the world's largest ultra-high-purity nitrogen pipeline systems in southern Taiwan. It also supports the demanding requirements of the electronics industry by emerging as the first gas company to be awarded ISO9002 and ISO14000 certifications.
The project also expands Air Products' integrated supply network across both front-end semiconductor manufacturing and back-end advanced packaging, reinforcing its position as a key supplier to Taiwan's fast-growing electronics industry.
APD’s shares have lost 0.5% over the past year against the industry’s 6.4% decline.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
APD’s Zacks Rank & Key PicksAPD currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Some better-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space are Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (KRO - Free Report) , Carpenter Technology Corporation (CRS - Free Report) and CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF - Free Report) .
While KRO and CRS currently sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) each, CF carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KRO’s 2026 loss is pinned at 33 cents per share, indicating a 65.63% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in one of the trailing four quarters and missed the remaining three. KRO’sshares have gained 6.8% over the past year.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CRS’ 2026 earnings is pegged at $10.56 per share, indicating a rise of 41.18% year over year. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average surprise of 8.95%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CF’s current fiscal-year earnings is pinned at $17.24 per share, indicating an 83.99% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average surprise of 11.42%. CF’s shares have gained 31.2% over the past year.
New investment to support next-generation facility expansion
, /PRNewswire/ -- Air Products (NYSE: APD), a world-leading industrial gases company, today announced Air Products San Fu has been awarded a long-term agreement to support a semiconductor manufacturer's expansion in Taiwan. The project will supply multiple new semiconductor fabs and back-end packaging facilities, supporting growing demand driven by artificial intelligence and high-performance computing.
Air Products San Fu will build, own, and operate four large state-of-the-art air separation units and bulk gas supply systems with new underground pipeline systems. The company will supply a range of industrial gases, including nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and helium to support the customer's semiconductor operations.
The new underground pipeline systems will be connected to Air Products' existing pipeline network in Taiwan, further enhancing supply reliability, operational efficiency, and resilience.
"Air Products is honored to be selected by our strategic customer to support their continued growth, building on our proven track record and strong long-term partnership," said Paul Yang, President, Air Products San Fu. "This project further reinforces our role as a trusted supplier in Taiwan and reflects our long-term commitment to grow with our customers. It also underscores our world-class performance in safety, reliability and operational excellence, which are critical to meeting the increasingly demanding requirements of the electronics industry."
Air Products has been serving the Taiwan market through Air Products San Fu for more than 70 years and has established leading supply positions across key science parks with extensive pipeline networks. The company operates one of the world's largest ultra-high purity nitrogen pipeline systems in Southern Taiwan and is the first gas company in Taiwan awarded ISO9002 and ISO14000 certifications.
This latest project further strengthens Air Products' integrated supply footprint across both front-end semiconductor manufacturing and back-end advanced packaging, reinforcing its position as a key supplier to the electronics industry in Taiwan.
Air Products has served the global electronics industry for more than 40 years, supplying industrial gases safely and reliably to many of the world's leading technology companies.
About Air Products
Air Products (NYSE: APD) is a world-leading industrial gases company in operation for over 85 years focused on serving energy, environmental, and emerging markets and generating a cleaner future. The Company supplies essential industrial gases, related equipment and applications expertise to customers in dozens of industries, including refining, chemicals, metals, electronics, manufacturing, medical and food. As the leading global hydrogen supplier, Air Products develops, engineers, builds, owns and operates some of the world's largest hydrogen projects. Through its sale of equipment businesses, the Company also provides turbomachinery, membrane systems and cryogenic containers globally.
Air Products had fiscal 2025 sales of $12 billion from operations in approximately 50 countries. For more information, visit airproducts.com or follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook or Instagram.
This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on management's expectations and assumptions as of the date of this release and are not guarantees of future performance. While forward-looking statements are made in good faith and based on assumptions, expectations and projections that management believes are reasonable based on currently available information, actual performance and financial results may differ materially from projections and estimates expressed in the forward-looking statements because of many factors, including the risk factors described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025 and other factors disclosed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, we disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the assumptions, beliefs or expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances upon which any such forward-looking statements are based.
, /PRNewswire/ -- Air Products (NYSE: APD) will hold a conference call to discuss its fiscal 2026 third quarter financial results on Thursday, July 30, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. ET. The teleconference will be open to the public and the media in listen-only mode by telephone and Internet broadcast.
APD Q3FY26 live teleconference: 646-769-9200
Passcode: 7872000
Internet broadcast/slides: Available on the Event Details page on Air Products' Investor Relations website.
Internet replay: Available on the Event Details page on Air Products' Investor Relations website.
About Air Products
Air Products (NYSE: APD) is a world-leading industrial gases company in operation for over 85 years focused on serving energy, environmental, and emerging markets and generating a cleaner future. The Company supplies essential industrial gases, related equipment and applications expertise to customers in dozens of industries, including refining, chemicals, metals, electronics, manufacturing, medical and food. As the leading global hydrogen supplier, Air Products develops, engineers, builds, owns and operates some of the world's largest hydrogen projects. Through its sale of equipment businesses, the Company also provides turbomachinery, membrane systems and cryogenic containers globally.
Air Products had fiscal 2025 sales of $12.0 billion from operations in approximately 50 countries. For more information, visit airproducts.com or follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook or Instagram.
Getting big returns from financial portfolios, whether through stocks, bonds, ETFs, other securities, or a combination of all, is an investor's dream. But for income investors, generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments is your primary focus.
Cash flow can come from bond interest, interest from other types of investments, and, of course, dividends. A dividend is that coveted distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders, and investors often view it by its dividend yield, a metric that measures the dividend as a percent of the current stock price. Many academic studies show that dividends account for significant portions of long-term returns, with dividend contributions exceeding one-third of total returns in many cases.
Based in Allentown, Air Products and Chemicals (APD - Free Report) is in the Basic Materials sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 21.26%. The seller of gases for industrial, medical and other uses is paying out a dividend of $1.81 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 2.42% compared to the Chemical - Diversified industry's yield of 1.66% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.35%.
Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $7.24 is up 1.7% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Air Products and Chemicals has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 6.01%. Looking ahead, future dividend growth will be dependent on earnings growth and payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Air Products and Chemicals's current payout ratio is 56%, meaning it paid out 56% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Earnings growth looks solid for APD for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 is $13.23 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 9.98%.
Investors like dividends for many reasons; they greatly improve stock investing profits, decrease overall portfolio risk, and carry tax advantages, among others. But, not every company offers a quarterly payout.
Big, established firms that have more secure profits are often seen as the best dividend options, but it's fairly uncommon to see high-growth businesses or tech start-ups offer their stockholders a dividend. Income investors have to be mindful of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, APD is a compelling investment opportunity. Not only is it a strong dividend play, but the stock currently sits at a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Key Takeaways APD shares gained 13.5% in a month as portfolio actions boosted investor confidence.APD exited the Louisiana Clean Energy Complex after expected returns failed to meet its criteria. Air Products is finalizing an agreement with Yara to market renewable ammonia from the NEOM project. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.’s (APD - Free Report) shares have gained 13.5% over the past month. The company has also outperformed the Zacks Chemicals Diversified industry’s decline of 2.2% over the same time frame. APD has also topped the S&P 500’s 0.5% rise over the same period.
Let’s dive into the factors behind APD stock’s price appreciation.
APD’s One-month Price Performance
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
What’s Driving APD’s Stock?APD’s gains reflect its recent move to exit the Louisiana Clean Energy Complex (LCEC) project, as expected financial returns fail to meet its stringent return criteria. APD also said that it is finalizing a marketing and distribution agreement for renewable ammonia from the NEOM Green Hydrogen Project in Saudi Arabia with Yara International ASA.
Air Products also decided to discontinue its proposed zero-carbon liquid hydrogen plant in Casa Grande, AZ, along with several small-scale clean energy distribution projects. The move reflects challenging market conditions, project-specific economic hurdles and slower-than-anticipated growth in specific markets, especially hydrogen for mobility. The LCEC project exit and other portfolio actions are expected to result in pre-tax charges not exceeding $2.9 billion in APD's fiscal third quarter. APD plans to maximize the redeployment of certain assets to current or future projects.
These strategic actions to streamline the company's clean energy strategy and optimize its project portfolio removed a major investor overhang, driving the stock higher. The company's disciplined focus on portfolio optimization and higher-return opportunities has also strengthened investor confidence in its long-term growth prospects.
Air Products reaffirmed its commitment to expanding its presence in Louisiana, where it operates 18 industrial gas plants and the world's largest hydrogen pipeline network, supplying refinery customers across the U.S. Gulf Coast. Through its agreement with Yara, the company will also utilize Yara’s global supply chain to market and distribute renewable ammonia worldwide.
Meanwhile, Air Products remains focused on driving productivity to improve its cost structure. It is seeing the positive impacts of its productivity actions. Benefits from additional productivity and cost improvement programs are likely to support its margins. The company also remains focused on improving pricing amid an inflationary environment.
Air Products is also taking action to right-size the organization through headcount reductions and expects these reductions to result in $250 million in annual cost savings once completed. It has already realized roughly $50 million in savings from headcount reduction, as divulged in its fiscal second quarter earnings call.
APD’s Zacks Rank & Other Key PicksAPD currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Better-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space are L.B. Foster Company (FSTR - Free Report) , Albemarle Corporation (ALB - Free Report) and Perimeter Solutions, Inc. (PRM - Free Report) . FSTR, ALB and PRM carry a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), each. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for L.B. Foster’s current-year earnings is pegged at $1.74 per share, implying a 152.2% year-over-year increase. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for FSTR’s current-year earnings has been revised 6.1% higher over the past 60 days.
The consensus estimate for Albemarle’s current-year earnings is pegged at $12.98 per share, indicating a 1,743.2% year-over-year increase. ALB’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters and missed once, with an average surprise of 54.1%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Perimeter Solutions’ current-year earnings stands at $1.78 per share, implying a 32.8% year-over-year increase. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for PRM’s current-year earnings has been revised 21.1% higher over the past 60 days.
Since February, Air Products and Chemicals has trounced the S&P 500 index. The company's decision to not proceed with the Louisiana Clean Energy Project and the finalized agreement with Yara for renewable ammonia bode well for the future. APD's adjusted net debt-to-EBITDA ratio remained unchanged at 2.2x in Q2 2026.
Key Takeaways Air Products will not proceed with the LCEC project due to expected returns missing its stringent criteria.APD expects pre-tax charges of up to $2.9B, mainly from asset write-downs and LCEC commitments.Air Products is finalizing a Yara deal to sell renewable ammonia from the NEOM project worldwide. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (APD - Free Report) has announced its decision not to move forward with the Louisiana Clean Energy Complex (LCEC) project, as expected financial returns fail to meet the company's required return criteria. Additionally, the company is also finalizing a marketing and distribution agreement for renewable ammonia from the NEOM Green Hydrogen Project in Saudi Arabia, with Yara International ASA. The decisions are independent of each other.
With regard to such portfolio actions, the company is expecting to record pre-tax charges not exceeding $2.9 billion in the third quarter of fiscal 2026. The charges are primarily tied to asset write-downs and the termination of contractual commitments related to the LCEC project.
Air Products will also discontinue its planned zero-carbon liquid hydrogen facility in Casa Grande, AZ, as well as several small-scale clean energy distribution projects. The decisions were driven by difficult market conditions, project-specific economic challenges, and slower-than-expected development in hydrogen for the mobility sector.
Air Products reiterated its commitment to grow in Louisiana, where it operates 18 industrial gas facilities and the world's largest hydrogen pipeline network, serving refinery customers across the U.S. Gulf Coast. Under its agreement with Yara, the company will leverage Yara’s global supply chain to sell and distribute renewable ammonia worldwide.
APD shares have gained 1% over the past year against the industry’s 6.8% decline.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
APD’s Zacks Rank & Key PicksAPD currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Some better-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space are Albemarle Corporation (ALB - Free Report) , Dow Inc. (DOW - Free Report) and Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd. (ASM - Free Report) .
While ALB and DOW sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) each at present, ASM carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ALB’s 2026 earnings is pinned at $12.98 per share, indicating a 1,743.04% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters and missed one, with an average surprise of 74.5%. ALB’s shares have jumped 98.6% over the past year.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DOW’s 2026 earnings is pegged at $2.61 per share, indicating a rise of 377.66% year over year. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ASM’s current fiscal-year earnings is pinned at 34 cents per share, indicating a 17.24% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average surprise of 125%. DOW’sshares have gained 88.2% over the past year.
Air Products and Chemicals (APD) was a big mover last session on higher-than-average trading volume. The latest trend in earnings estimate revisions might help the stock continue moving higher in the near term.
, /PRNewswire/ -- Air Products (NYSE: APD) today announced it will not proceed with the Louisiana Clean Energy Complex (LCEC) project. The LCEC project exit and other portfolio actions will result in a pre-tax charge in Air Products' fiscal third quarter. Air Products also announced it is finalizing a marketing and distribution agreement with Yara International ASA (OSE: YAR) for renewable ammonia from the NEOM Green Hydrogen Project in Saudi Arabia.
LCEC Project Not Proceeding
Today's announcement that Air Products will not move forward with the LCEC is based on expected financial returns not meeting stringent return criteria.
Air Products remains committed to growing profitably in Louisiana, where it operates 18 industrial gas facilities across the state and the world's largest hydrogen pipeline network, reliably serving numerous refinery customers along the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Portfolio Actions to Result in Pre-Tax Charges Not Expected to Exceed $2.9 Billion in Fiscal 2026 Third Quarter
Air Products will record pre-tax charges not expected to exceed $2.9 billion (or approximately $2.2 billion on an after-tax basis) in its fiscal 2026 third quarter, primarily to write down assets and terminate contractual commitments, primarily related to the LCEC project decision.
In addition, Air Products will discontinue a zero-carbon liquid hydrogen facility in Casa Grande, Arizona and other smaller scale projects supporting clean energy distribution. These exits are being driven by challenging commercial conditions, project-specific economic factors, and slower-than-expected development in certain markets, largely hydrogen for mobility.
The Company will maximize the redeployment of certain assets to existing or future projects and work to reduce the exposure of existing contractual agreements.
Additional financial information related to these actions will be provided in Air Products' fiscal third quarter earnings release. Estimated contract cancellation and other project cancellation costs are subject to further refinement and may ultimately differ materially from actual costs recorded in the Company's fiscal third quarter and beyond.
Finalizing Marketing and Distribution Agreement / NEOM Green Hydrogen Project
Air Products and Yara are finalizing their marketing and distribution agreement for renewable ammonia from the NEOM Green Hydrogen Project in Saudi Arabia.
This agreement is independent of the decision to discontinue the LCEC project and will enable ammonia from the world's first large-scale renewable ammonia plant to be sold and delivered worldwide by Yara's global supply chain.
About Air Products
Air Products (NYSE: APD) is a world-leading industrial gases company in operation for over 85 years focused on serving energy, environmental, and emerging markets and generating a cleaner future. The Company supplies essential industrial gases, related equipment and applications expertise to customers in dozens of industries, including refining, chemicals, metals, electronics, manufacturing, medical and food. As the leading global hydrogen supplier, Air Products develops, engineers, builds, owns and operates some of the world's largest hydrogen projects. Through its sale of equipment businesses, the Company also provides turbomachinery, membrane systems and cryogenic containers globally.
Air Products had fiscal 2025 sales of $12.0 billion from operations in approximately 50 countries. For more information, visit airproducts.com or follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook or Instagram.
This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about the arrangements that are the subject of this release and their expected impact and timing, and about the Company's business outlook and investment opportunities. These forward-looking statements are based on management's expectations and assumptions as of the date of this release and are not guarantees of future performance. While forward-looking statements are made in good faith and based on assumptions, expectations and projections that management believes are reasonable based on currently available information, actual performance and financial results may differ materially from projections and estimates expressed in the forward-looking statements because of many factors, including the risk factors described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025 and other factors disclosed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, we disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the assumptions, beliefs or expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances upon which any such forward-looking statements are based.
All investors love getting big returns from their portfolio, whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities. But for income investors, generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments is your primary focus.
While cash flow can come from bond interest or interest from other types of investments, income investors hone in on dividends. A dividend is that coveted distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders, and investors often view it by its dividend yield, a metric that measures the dividend as a percent of the current stock price. Many academic studies show that dividends make up large portions of long-term returns, and in many cases, dividend contributions surpass one-third of total returns.
Air Products and Chemicals (APD - Free Report) is headquartered in Allentown, and is in the Basic Materials sector. The stock has seen a price change of 13.32% since the start of the year. Currently paying a dividend of $1.81 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 2.59%. In comparison, the Chemical - Diversified industry's yield is 1.61%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.45%.
Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $7.24 is up 1.7% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Air Products and Chemicals has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 6.01%. Looking ahead, future dividend growth will be dependent on earnings growth and payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Air Products and Chemicals's current payout ratio is 56%, meaning it paid out 56% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
Earnings growth looks solid for APD for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 is $13.23 per share, with earnings expected to increase 9.98% from the year ago period.
Investors like dividends for many reasons; they greatly improve stock investing profits, decrease overall portfolio risk, and carry tax advantages, among others. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide a quarterly payout.
High-growth firms or tech start-ups, for example, rarely provide their shareholders a dividend, while larger, more established companies that have more secure profits are often seen as the best dividend options. Income investors have to be mindful of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, APD presents a compelling investment opportunity; it's not only an attractive dividend play, but the stock also boasts a strong Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
, /PRNewswire/ -- Air Products (NYSE: APD) today published its 2026 Sustainability Report. The report provides stakeholders with economic, environmental, and social performance data, based on fiscal year 2025 information.
To view the complete 2026 Sustainability Report, visit Air Products' Sustainability website.
About Air Products
Air Products (NYSE: APD) is a world-leading industrial gases company in operation for over 85 years focused on serving energy, environmental, and emerging markets and generating a cleaner future. The Company supplies essential industrial gases, related equipment and applications expertise to customers in dozens of industries, including refining, chemicals, metals, electronics, manufacturing, medical and food. As the leading global supplier of hydrogen, Air Products also develops, engineers, builds, owns and operates some of the world's largest clean hydrogen projects, supporting the transition to low- and zero-carbon energy in the industrial and heavy-duty transportation sectors. Through its sale of equipment businesses, the Company also provides turbomachinery, membrane systems and cryogenic containers globally.
Air Products had fiscal 2025 sales of $12 billion from operations in approximately 50 countries. For more information, visit airproducts.com or follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook or Instagram.
This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on management's expectations and assumptions as of the date of this release and are not guarantees of future performance. While forward-looking statements are made in good faith and based on assumptions, expectations and projections that management believes are reasonable based on currently available information, actual performance and financial results may differ materially from projections and estimates expressed in the forward-looking statements because of many factors, including the risk factors described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025 and other factors disclosed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, we disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the assumptions, beliefs or expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances upon which any such forward-looking statements are based.
, /PRNewswire/ -- Air Products (NYSE: APD) will highlight its flash freezing solutions for specialty foods at the Summer Fancy Food Show 2026 at the Javits Center in New York City from June 28-30.
Attendees are invited to visit Air Products' booth 2581, to speak with an industry specialist to learn how flash freeze technology with cryogenic gases can address their specific processes and challenges, while increasing product quality and throughput.
Specialty food producers will have the opportunity to learn more about Air Products' Freshline® solutions, which use liquid nitrogen (LIN) and carbon dioxide (CO2) to improve a variety of processes. The extremely cold temperatures of these cryogenic gases enable food products to be chilled or frozen in minutes instead of the hours traditionally required with alternative systems. This rapid freeze results in smaller yield losses and helps ensure moisture and quality are preserved.
Air Products' Freshline® IQ Freezer offers continuous high throughput freezing or chilling for a broad range of food products and requires minimal floorspace. It is designed in 10-foot modular sections making it easily field expandable. Couple this advanced machine with Freshline® Smart Technology, and Air Products' engineers can work with a customer's team to easily troubleshoot from afar, minimizing downtime and the impact to the bottom line.
The Freshline® MP Tunnel Freezer has been designed to provide exceptional performance while incorporating the latest international hygiene standards. The Freshline MP freezer's ability to efficiently extract heat makes for quick freezing in a smaller, modular design.
As a leader in cryogenic technology applications, Air Products operates a state-of-the-art food and grinding lab at its global headquarters in Allentown, Pa. Customers and prospects can utilize the facility to test products on production-scale equipment to help determine the feasibility of using cryogenics in their process. Working with industry specialists, prospective customers can quantify the benefits and cost of using cryogenics in their operation without investing in any capital.
Air Products has been supplying the food industry with gases, equipment and technology for over 60 years. The company has Freshline® solutions for every type of customer, from large manufacturers with multiple production lines, to small food processors with niche products. Air Products offers industrial gases in a variety of delivery options to match each customer's requirements.
About Air Products
Air Products (NYSE: APD) is a world-leading industrial gases company in operation for over 85 years focused on serving energy, environmental, and emerging markets and generating a cleaner future. The Company supplies essential industrial gases, related equipment and applications expertise to customers in dozens of industries, including refining, chemicals, metals, electronics, manufacturing, medical and food. As the leading global supplier of hydrogen, Air Products also develops, engineers, builds, owns and operates some of the world's largest clean hydrogen projects, supporting the transition to low- and zero-carbon energy in the industrial and heavy-duty transportation sectors. Through its sale of equipment businesses, the Company also provides turbomachinery, membrane systems and cryogenic containers globally.
Air Products had fiscal 2025 sales of $12 billion from operations in approximately 50 countries. For more information, visit airproducts.com or follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook or Instagram.
Air Products & Chemicals (NYSE:APD | APD Price Prediction) is a stock worth owning for decades because it sells an essential, contractually locked-in product into every corner of the global industrial economy and has raised its dividend for 44 consecutive years. For a retirement investor who has been whipsawed by thematic trades, this is the kind of position that historically rewards patience.
Pillar 1: A Business Structure That Cannot Be Dislodged Air Products supplies oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and helium to refineries, semiconductor fabs, hospitals and food processors. Its production facilities are typically built directly adjacent to customer plants or connected by dedicated pipeline, under multi-decade take-or-pay contracts. A customer cannot switch suppliers without risking factory shutdown, which is why the company’s on-site backlog keeps compounding regardless of who occupies the White House or what the 10-year yield is doing.
That durability is showing up in the numbers. Q2 FY2026 revenue rose 9% to $3.171 billion, adjusted EPS grew 19%, and operating margin expanded over 200 basis points to 23.7%. CEO Eduardo Menezes also announced a Samsung agreement to build, own and operate gas supply for an advanced Korean semiconductor fab, which he called “the largest investment we ever made in the electronics side”, and the company is supplying liquid hydrogen and helium to NASA’s Artemis program.
Pillar 2: Income You Can Set Your Calendar To The Q1 FY26 dividend was raised to $1.81 per quarter, the latest step in a streak that has taken the quarterly payout from roughly $0.17 in 1999 to $1.81 in 2026. The forward yield sits around 2.56% on a share price of $282.45, and operating cash flow has covered the dividend roughly 2x or better every year for a decade. The dividend has grown 134% over ten years while the underlying cash engine kept producing $3 billion to $3.6 billion of operating cash annually. That is the definition of a compounder.
Pillar 3: Built to Survive Cycles Industrial gas demand is non-discretionary. Refineries cannot stop buying hydrogen, hospitals cannot stop buying oxygen, and chip fabs cannot stop buying nitrogen. APD’s contracts include energy cost pass-throughs, its beta is just 0.747, and management is reducing capex to approximately $4 billion in fiscal 2026 from over $7 billion the prior year while still guiding to $13.00 to $13.25 in adjusted EPS. Ten-year total price return: 157.36%, before reinvested dividends.
When This Stock Underperforms APD lags badly in roaring risk-on markets. Over the past 30 days following Q2 earnings, the stock fell 6.92% while the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEARCA:SPY) rose 5.69% and the Invesco QQQ Trust (NYSEARCA:QQQ) rose 11.74%. Helium pricing is a persistent headwind and the strategic reset under Menezes drove roughly $3.7 billion in FY2025 project exit charges. None of that changes the forever thesis, because the pipeline customers are still paying take-or-pay, the dividend is still rising, and the Samsung and NASA wins are still booked.
Air Products fits a long-horizon, income-focused portfolio.
It doesn't matter your age or experience: taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for all investors. Luckily, Zacks Premium offers several different ways to do both.
The research service features daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, all of which will help you become a smarter, more confident investor.
It also includes access to the Zacks Style Scores.
What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores is a unique set of guidelines that rates stocks based on three popular investing types, and were developed as complementary indicators for the Zacks Rank. This combination helps investors choose securities with the highest chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.
Based on their value, growth, and momentum characteristics, each stock is assigned a rating of A, B, C, D, or F. The better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform; an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on.
The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:
Value ScoreFor value investors, it's all about finding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value before the broader market catches on. The Value Style Score utilizes ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to help pick out the most attractive and discounted stocks.
Growth ScoreGrowth investors are more concerned with a stock's future prospects, and the overall financial health and strength of a company. Thus, the Growth Style Score analyzes characteristics like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will see sustainable growth over time.
Momentum ScoreMomentum investors, who live by the saying "the trend is your friend," are most interested in taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Utilizing one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, among other factors, the Momentum Style Score can help determine favorable times to buy high-momentum stocks.
VGM ScoreIf you like to use all three kinds of investing, then the VGM Score is for you. It's a combination of all Style Scores, and is an important indicator to use with the Zacks Rank. The VGM Score rates each stock on their shared weighted styles, narrowing down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.
How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank is a proprietary stock-rating model that harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to help investors build a successful portfolio.
Investors can count on the Zacks Rank's success, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +24% average annual return since 1988, more than double the S&P 500's performance. But the model rates a large number of stocks, and there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.
This totals more than 800 top-rated stocks, and it can be overwhelming to try and pick the best stocks for you and your portfolio.
That's where the Style Scores come in.
You want to make sure you're buying stocks with the highest likelihood of success, and to do that, you'll need to pick stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you like a stock that only has a #3 (Hold) rank, it should also have Scores of A or B to guarantee as much upside potential as possible.
As mentioned above, the Scores are designed to work with the Zacks Rank, so any change to a company's earnings outlook should be a deciding factor when picking which stocks to buy.
For instance, a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one that boasts Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings forecast, and a much greater likelihood its share price will decline as well.
Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.
Stock to Watch: Air Products and Chemicals (APD - Free Report) Pennsylvania-based Air Products and Chemicals Inc. makes industrial gases as well as a variety of polymer and performance chemicals. It also supplies processing equipment. Air Products' reporting segments are as follows:
APD is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B.
Additionally, the company could be a top pick for growth investors. APD has a Growth Style Score of B, forecasting year-over-year earnings growth of 10% for the current fiscal year.
Eight analysts revised their earnings estimate higher in the last 60 days for fiscal 2026, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.21 to $13.23 per share. APD also boasts an average earnings surprise of +3%.
With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Growth and VGM Style Scores, APD should be on investors' short list.
On Feb. 28, Iranian drone strikes hit Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City, the single largest helium production facility on earth, responsible for roughly one-third of the world's supply. QatarEnergy declared force majeure within days.
The Strait of Hormuz, the only maritime export route for Qatari helium, became a contested waterway where commercial vessels faced seizure, naval vessels exchanged fire, and traders scrambled to reprice a gas they had never needed to think about before.
Image source: Getty Images.
The helium shock didn't make headlines the way oil shocks do. But inside the fabs where the world's most advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chips are made, the reaction was immediate. Spot prices doubled within weeks. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSM +0.46%), which consumes roughly 500,000 cubic feet of helium per year via its leading-edge nodes, began monitoring its inventory. Samsung and SK Hynix in South Korea, which sourced roughly 64% of its helium from Qatar in 2025, entered a six-month inventory window that should close sometime in June or July. Airgas, one of the largest U.S. industrial gas distributors, declared force majeure on helium shipments in April.
Today's Change
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0.46
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1.94
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$
423.01
Why helium cannot be replaced Helium does four things in chip manufacturing that no other substance can replicate at scale: it cools EUV lithography machines (with six times the thermal conductivity of nitrogen), detects microscopic leaks in vacuum chambers, purges reactive gases during deposition, and creates the inert environment inside cleanrooms where silicon wafers are exposed to extreme ultraviolet light. The 3nm and 5nm nodes that produce Nvidia's (NVDA +0.15%) Blackwell and Rubin GPUs require more helium per wafer than older processes -- not less. Building new helium extraction and liquefaction infrastructure takes two to three years minimum.
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0.15
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0.30
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Where the ceasefire talks stand today As of this past weekend, a tenuous ceasefire brokered in April continues to hold -- barely. Iran has fired on commercial vessels nine times since the ceasefire began, seized two, and attacked U.S. forces more than 10 times. On May 7, the U.S. and Iran exchanged naval fire in the strait, with both sides accusing the other of violations and President Trump asserting the ceasefire remains in effect. Iran has since responded via Pakistani intermediaries to a 14-point U.S. proposal, with the response focused on a cessation of hostilities and easing shipping restrictions while leaving nuclear enrichment issues unresolved. President Trump called the proposal "unacceptable."
Even if a formal agreement arrives this week, the helium problem does not evaporate with the signing. Qatari production infrastructure sustained physical damage, and Moody's Ratings has warned that helium output would not resume immediately even in a de-escalation scenario.
Two names sit at the center of this crisis, and they are not the chip companies.
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (APD +1.26%) reported Q1 2026 results on April 30 that beat consensus EPS estimates, raised its full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $13.00–$13.25, and cited helium price strength as a direct tailwind -- noting that it has activated domestic U.S. storage and boosted liquefaction capacity to protect customers.
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Linde PLC (LIN +1.55%) completes the oligopoly. These two companies control the majority of global industrial helium supply and distribution, meaning in a shortage, they hold pricing power that demand-inelastic semiconductor customers cannot negotiate away. Every quarter, the Strait remains contested, and the pricing tailwind compounds.
For investors in the AI supercycle, the lesson is not to exit Nvidia or TSMC. It is to recognize that the supply chain for a multi-trillion-dollar technology build-out runs through a colorless, odorless gas that few analysts modeled and fewer politicians understood, and that the companies that store, liquefy, and distribute that gas are now among the most consequential infrastructure plays in the market.
A ceasefire could ease the pressure. It cannot undo what the crisis revealed.
On May 11, 2026, Air Products and Chemicals Inc APD shares rose 3.1% to a current price of $304.50. The stock has performed well recently, showing a year-to-date increase of 24.9% and a 15.3% gain over the past year. Over the last 52 weeks, APD reached a high of $307.29 and a low of $229.11.
GF Value™ verdict: Current price is $304.50 vs GF Value™ of $281.97, indicating the stock is 8.0% overvalued.GF Score™ is 82/100, categorized as Strong, suggesting favorable long-term returns.Notable signal: Insiders sold $20.8 million in shares over the last 3 months, indicating a lack of buying interest. Is APD Overvalued or Undervalued? The current market price of Air Products and Chemicals Inc APD at $304.50 is approximately 8.0% above the GF Value™ of $281.97, signifying that the stock is overvalued. The GF Valuation label categorizes APD as fairly valued, but the current price suggests a lack of margin of safety for prospective investors. An overvalued stock carries risks, particularly in volatile market conditions or if the company's fundamentals do not support such a high valuation.
GF Value™ is GuruFocus' proprietary measure of intrinsic value, calculated from historical trading multiples, past business growth, and future performance estimates. Given the current overvaluation, potential investors might consider waiting for a more favorable entry point, as the risk of a price correction could be present if the market adjusts its expectations for the company.
How Does APD's Valuation Compare to Its History? Metric Current Historical P/E (TTM) 32.2x 27.2x Forward P/E 23.0x N/A The current P/E (TTM) ratio of 32.2x is significantly above the 5-year median P/E of 27.2x, indicating that APD is trading at a premium compared to its historical valuation. This P/E analysis aligns with the GF Value™ verdict, reinforcing the indication that the stock may be overvalued at this time.
What Does APD's GF Score™ Tell Us? Metric Rating GF Score™ 82/100 Financial Strength 5/10 Profitability 7/10 Growth 6/10 Valuation 7/10 Momentum 10/10 APD's GF Score™ of 82/100 indicates a strong position relative to its peers, particularly highlighted by its perfect momentum rank of 10/10. However, the financial strength score of 5/10 suggests that there may be room for improvement in this area, which could impact the company's stability in challenging market conditions. Overall, the scores reflect a solid operational foundation but also indicate some caution regarding financial strength.
What Are Insiders Doing with APD Stock? Insider activity surrounding Air Products and Chemicals Inc APD has been notably bearish, with insiders selling $20.8 million worth of shares in the last three months and no reported buying activity. This trend may suggest a lack of confidence among insiders about the company's future prospects, which can be a red flag for potential investors. It is important to monitor insider activities as they can provide additional signals regarding a company's performance and outlook.
What This Means for Investors Based on the GF Value™ assessment, Air Products and Chemicals Inc APD is currently overvalued. Potential investors may want to exercise caution and consider waiting for a more attractive valuation before entering the stock. The combination of high current P/E ratios and recent insider selling further supports this outlook.
For the complete analysis, visit the Air Products and Chemicals Inc APD stock page. You can also explore the GF Value™ page for detailed valuation methodology, or use the GuruFocus Stock Screener to find similar opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions What is APD's GF Score™?
APD's GF Score™ is 82/100, indicating a strong potential for long-term returns based on its financial strength, profitability, growth, valuation, and momentum.
Is APD overvalued or undervalued?
APD is overvalued, with its current price of $304.50 being 8.0% above the GF Value™ of $281.97.
What is APD's P/E ratio?
APD's P/E ratio is 32.2x (TTM), which is 18% above its 5-year median of 27.2x, indicating that it is trading at a premium compared to its historical valuation.
This stock alert was generated using automated technology and GuruFocus financial data to provide readers with timely and accurate market reporting. This content was reviewed by GuruFocus editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].
, /PRNewswire/ -- Air Products' (NYSE: APD) Chief Executive Officer Eduardo Menezes and Chief Financial Officer Melissa Schaeffer will participate in a fireside chat at the Bernstein 42nd Annual Strategic Decisions Conference on Wednesday, May 27, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. USET.
Access the audio webcast from via Air Products' Investor Relations Event Details website.
About Air Products
Air Products (NYSE: APD) is a world-leading industrial gases company in operation for over 85 years focused on serving energy, environmental, and emerging markets and generating a cleaner future. The Company supplies essential industrial gases, related equipment and applications expertise to customers in dozens of industries, including refining, chemicals, metals, electronics, manufacturing, medical and food. As the leading global supplier of hydrogen, Air Products also develops, engineers, builds, owns and operates some of the world's largest clean hydrogen projects, supporting the transition to low- and zero-carbon energy in the industrial and heavy-duty transportation sectors. Through its sale of equipment businesses, the Company also provides turbomachinery, membrane systems and cryogenic containers globally.
Air Products had fiscal 2025 sales of $12 billion from operations in approximately 50 countries. For more information, visit airproducts.com or follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook or Instagram.
Investors looking for stocks in the Chemical - Diversified sector might want to consider either BASF SE (BASFY - Free Report) or Air Products and Chemicals (APD - Free Report) . But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to take a closer look.
There are plenty of strategies for discovering value stocks, but we have found that pairing a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system produces the best returns. The Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlight companies with specific traits.
BASF SE has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), while Air Products and Chemicals has a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now. The Zacks Rank favors stocks that have recently seen positive revisions to their earnings estimates, so investors should rest assured that BASFY has an improving earnings outlook. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.
Value investors also try to analyze a wide range of traditional figures and metrics to help determine whether a company is undervalued at its current share price levels.
Our Value category grades stocks based on a number of key metrics, including the tried-and-true P/E ratio, the P/S ratio, earnings yield, and cash flow per share, as well as a variety of other fundamentals that value investors frequently use.
BASFY currently has a forward P/E ratio of 18.84, while APD has a forward P/E of 22.10. We also note that BASFY has a PEG ratio of 1.27. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. APD currently has a PEG ratio of 2.56.
Another notable valuation metric for BASFY is its P/B ratio of 1.39. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, APD has a P/B of 3.58.
These are just a few of the metrics contributing to BASFY's Value grade of A and APD's Value grade of D.
BASFY sticks out from APD in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that BASFY is the better option right now.
Plug Power (NASDAQ:PLUG) is the headline darling again, with shares up 393.28% over the past year as retail traders pile back into the hydrogen narrative on tax-credit chatter and high-profile customer name-drops.
But here’s what you should actually be watching.
The Plug Power Math Still Does Not Work Strip away the story and the financials are brutal. Plug Power’s Q1 FY2026 net loss came in at -$245.30 million, a 24.74% worse result year over year, with operating cash burn of -$150.04 million in the quarter alone. Gross margin is still negative at -13%. Cash on the balance sheet sits at just $223.19 million against an accumulated deficit of $8.2 billion, and shareholders’ equity has collapsed 58.33% year over year.
CEO Jose Luis Crespo is telling investors point-blank that positive EBITDAS does not arrive until Q4 2026, positive operating income not until end of 2027, and full profitability not until the end of 2028. That is three more years of dilution against a share count that has already ballooned past 1.39 billion shares outstanding. Retirees do not need that movie. We’ve all seen it.
The Boring Compounder Hiding in Plain Sight Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD | APD Price Prediction) offers a sharply different profile. The industrial gases giant carries a $64.4 billion market cap, throws off real cash, and just pulled back 3.23% over the past week to $290.19. That is the dip. Three reasons it stands out next to the speculative capital flowing into Plug.
1. A 44-year dividend streak that survives every cycle. Air Products just paid its $1.81 quarterly dividend, marking the 44th consecutive year of dividend increases. The payout has climbed from roughly $0.17 per quarter in 1999 to $1.81 today, through the 2008 financial crisis, the 2020 pandemic, and every rate regime in between. Plug pays nothing.
2. Earnings are accelerating and management just raised guidance. Q2 FY2026 adjusted EPS hit $3.20, a 19% year-over-year gain, on revenue of $3.171 billion, up 9% YoY. Management lifted full-year FY2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $13.00 to $13.25. The Asia segment posted 25% operating income growth. CFO Melissa Schaeffer put her own money in too, with a direct common stock purchase on May 1, 2026 at $303.76.
3. Mission-critical contracts in the right megatrends. Air Products was selected by Samsung to build, own, and operate gas infrastructure for an advanced semiconductor fab in South Korea, and locked in over $140 million in NASA liquid hydrogen contracts for the Artemis II mission. Semiconductors and space, supplied under long-dated take-or-pay structures by the only company that can deliver at scale. CEO Eduardo Menezes summed up the discipline: “We remain focused on our key priorities, unlocking earnings growth, optimizing large projects and maintaining capital discipline.”
The Setup Plug investors are paying for a story that trades at 6.16x book with a 2.065 beta and zero earnings. APD trades at a forward P/E of 22x with an analyst consensus target of $327.86 and a 0.776 beta. One is a lottery ticket. The other is a 44-year compounder on sale.
For investors comparing the two names, Air Products screens as the steadier income compounder at a discounted entry, while Plug remains a higher-risk story stock.
Investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Air Products and Chemicals (APD - Free Report) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Basic Materials sector should help us answer this question.
Air Products and Chemicals is a member of our Basic Materials group, which includes 248 different companies and currently sits at #8 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.
The Zacks Rank is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. Air Products and Chemicals is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for APD's full-year earnings has moved 1.5% higher within the past quarter. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.
Based on the latest available data, APD has gained about 17.2% so far this year. In comparison, Basic Materials companies have returned an average of 13.7%. This means that Air Products and Chemicals is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.
Another Basic Materials stock, which has outperformed the sector so far this year, is Lifezone Metals Limited (LZM - Free Report) . The stock has returned 19.2% year-to-date.
Over the past three months, Lifezone Metals Limited's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 12.1%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Breaking things down more, Air Products and Chemicals is a member of the Chemical - Diversified industry, which includes 29 individual companies and currently sits at #94 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, this group has gained an average of 28.2% so far this year, meaning that APD is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.
Lifezone Metals Limited, however, belongs to the Mining - Miscellaneous industry. Currently, this 72-stock industry is ranked #166. The industry has moved +23.7% so far this year.
Investors interested in the Basic Materials sector may want to keep a close eye on Air Products and Chemicals and Lifezone Metals Limited as they attempt to continue their solid performance.
All investors love getting big returns from their portfolio, whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities. However, when you're an income investor, your primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments.
Cash flow can come from bond interest, interest from other types of investments, and, of course, dividends. A dividend is the distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders; it's often viewed by its dividend yield, a metric that measures a dividend as a percent of the current stock price. Many academic studies show that dividends account for significant portions of long-term returns, with dividend contributions exceeding one-third of total returns in many cases.
Based in Allentown, Air Products and Chemicals (APD - Free Report) is in the Basic Materials sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of 17.18%. The seller of gases for industrial, medical and other uses is paying out a dividend of $1.81 per share at the moment, with a dividend yield of 2.5% compared to the Chemical - Diversified industry's yield of 1.62% and the S&P 500's yield of 1.42%.
Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $7.24 is up 1.7% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Air Products and Chemicals has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 6.01%. Looking ahead, future dividend growth will be dependent on earnings growth and payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Air Products and Chemicals's current payout ratio is 56%, meaning it paid out 56% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
APD is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 is $13.20 per share, which represents a year-over-year growth rate of 9.73%.
Investors like dividends for a variety of different reasons, from tax advantages and decreasing overall portfolio risk to considerably improving stock investing profits. But, not every company offers a quarterly payout.
For instance, it's a rare occurrence when a tech start-up or big growth business offers its shareholders a dividend. It's more common to see larger companies with more established profits give out dividends. Income investors have to be mindful of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, APD presents a compelling investment opportunity; it's not only an attractive dividend play, but the stock also boasts a strong Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Investors might want to bet on Air Products and Chemicals (APD - Free Report) , as it has been recently upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). An upward trend in earnings estimates -- one of the most powerful forces impacting stock prices -- has triggered this rating change.
The sole determinant of the Zacks rating is a company's changing earnings picture. The Zacks Consensus Estimate -- the consensus of EPS estimates from the sell-side analysts covering the stock -- for the current and following years is tracked by the system.
Individual investors often find it hard to make decisions based on rating upgrades by Wall Street analysts, since these are mostly driven by subjective factors that are hard to see and measure in real time. In these situations, the Zacks rating system comes in handy because of the power of a changing earnings picture in determining near-term stock price movements.
As such, the Zacks rating upgrade for Air Products and Chemicals is essentially a positive comment on its earnings outlook that could have a favorable impact on its stock price.
Most Powerful Force Impacting Stock PricesThe change in a company's future earnings potential, as reflected in earnings estimate revisions, has proven to be strongly correlated with the near-term price movement of its stock. That's partly because of the influence of institutional investors that use earnings and earnings estimates for calculating the fair value of a company's shares. An increase or decrease in earnings estimates in their valuation models simply results in higher or lower fair value for a stock, and institutional investors typically buy or sell it. Their transaction of large amounts of shares then leads to price movement for the stock.
Fundamentally speaking, rising earnings estimates and the consequent rating upgrade for Air Products and Chemicals imply an improvement in the company's underlying business. Investors should show their appreciation for this improving business trend by pushing the stock higher.
Harnessing the Power of Earnings Estimate RevisionsAs empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock movements, tracking such revisions for making an investment decision could be truly rewarding. Here is where the tried-and-tested Zacks Rank stock-rating system plays an important role, as it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions.
The Zacks Rank stock-rating system, which uses four factors related to earnings estimates to classify stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive externally-audited track record, with Zacks Rank #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> .
Earnings Estimate Revisions for Air Products and ChemicalsFor the fiscal year ending September 2026, this seller of gases for industrial, medical and other uses is expected to earn $13.20 per share, which is unchanged compared with the year-ago reported number.
Analysts have been steadily raising their estimates for Air Products and Chemicals. Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company has increased 1.5%.
Bottom LineUnlike the overly optimistic Wall Street analysts whose rating systems tend to be weighted toward favorable recommendations, the Zacks rating system maintains an equal proportion of "buy" and "sell" ratings for its entire universe of more than 4,000 stocks at any point in time. Irrespective of market conditions, only the top 5% of the Zacks-covered stocks get a "Strong Buy" rating and the next 15% get a "Buy" rating. So, the placement of a stock in the top 20% of the Zacks-covered stocks indicates its superior earnings estimate revision feature, making it a solid candidate for producing market-beating returns in the near term.
You can learn more about the Zacks Rank here >>>
The upgrade of Air Products and Chemicals to a Zacks Rank #2 positions it in the top 20% of the Zacks-covered stocks in terms of estimate revisions, implying that the stock might move higher in the near term.
The Zacks Chemicals Diversified industry is poised to benefit from a recovery in demand in certain key markets and the end of customer inventory de-stocking. Improved demand in automotive and a rebound in construction end markets bode well.
Industry players such as Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (APD - Free Report) , Dow Inc. (DOW - Free Report) , Albemarle Corporation (ALB - Free Report) and Methanex Corporation (MEOH - Free Report) are well placed to benefit from the rebound in demand. Strategic measures, including operating cost reductions and price hikes, are also helping these companies to tide over the still-challenging macroeconomic environment.
About the Industry The Zacks Chemicals Diversified industry consists of manufacturers of basic chemicals, plastics, specialty chemicals and agricultural chemicals. Companies in this space serve a host of end markets, such as automotive, building & construction, transportation, electronics, aerospace and agriculture. Basic chemicals are produced in large quantities and include petrochemicals and intermediates (such as ethylene, propylene and benzene), polymers (including plastic resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride) and inorganic chemicals (such as chlorine, caustic soda and titanium dioxide). Specialty chemicals that include catalysts, specialty polymers and coating additives are used in specific fields based on their performance. Agricultural chemicals include herbicides, fungicides and insecticides that are used to protect crops from disease, pests and weeds.
What's Shaping the Future of the Chemicals Diversified Industry? End-market Demand Recovery Bodes Well: Companies in the chemical-diversified space are expected to benefit from an uptick in demand in certain major markets from the lows witnessed last year. The automotive sector represents a crucial end market for chemical manufacturers. A decline in global vehicle production last year weighed on demand from this segment. Elevated interest rates, coupled with economic slowdown concerns and tariff-related uncertainties, further pressured the market. The automotive industry is expected to rebound this year, supported by accelerating electric vehicle adoption as governments worldwide advance carbon-neutral initiatives. Better affordability, robust demand for hybrid models and aggressive promotional incentives are expected to lift new vehicle sales. As production picks up, the recovery momentum is likely to strengthen through the year. Chemical companies are also seeing signs of a recovery in demand across the construction and electronics markets. Demand in healthcare and packaging markets also remains steady. On a further positive note, customer inventory destocking in building & construction and consumer durables has largely ended, leading to low inventory levels. This is expected to lead to an uptick in chemical demand and volumes.
Self-help Actions to Aid Results: Companies in this space are taking a host of strategic measures, including cost-cutting and productivity improvement, operational efficiency improvement, and actions to strengthen the balance sheet and boost cash flows. In particular, the industry participants are aggressively implementing actions to lower costs. The industry participants are also raising selling prices to counter raw material, energy and logistics cost inflation amid significant disruptions from the Middle East conflict. Such moves are likely to help the industry sustain margins amid the prevailing challenges.
Sluggishness in Europe and China Is a Worry: In China, a slower recovery in economic activities is hurting chemical demand. China is seeing slower economic growth and a sluggish real estate market. A weak property market and a slowdown in infrastructure investments have led to softer demand. The real estate sector has taken a hard hit amid a decline in new home prices, property investment and housing sales. The slowdown in Europe, resulting from low consumer confidence and weaker consumer spending due to high levels of inflation and high interest rates, has also led to softer demand in that region. Energy and feedstock inflation has lowered industrial production and consumer spending in Europe.
Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Upbeat Prospects The Zacks Chemicals Diversified industry is part of the broader Zacks Basic Materials sector. It carries a Zacks Industry Rank #102, which places it at the top 42% of more than 250 Zacks industries.
The group’s Zacks Industry Rank, which is basically the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates a bright near term. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
Before we present a few stocks that you may want to consider for your portfolio, let’s take a look at the industry’s recent stock-market performance and valuation picture.
Industry Underperforms Sector & S&P 500 The Zacks Chemicals Diversified industry has underperformed both the Zacks S&P 500 composite and the broader Zacks Basic Materials sector over the past year.
The industry has gained 10.8% over this period compared with the S&P 500’s rise of 30.2% and the broader sector’s increase of 36.8%.
One-Year Price Performance
Industry's Current Valuation On the basis of the trailing 12-month enterprise value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, which is a commonly used multiple for valuing chemical stocks, the industry is currently trading at 14.93, below the S&P 500’s 18.65X and above the sector’s 13.43X.
Over the past five years, the industry has traded as high as 15.81X, as low as 5.56X and at the median of 9.95X, as the chart below shows.
Enterprise Value/EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) Ratio
Enterprise Value/EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) Ratio
4 Chemicals Diversified Stocks to Keep a Close Eye on Dow: Based in Michigan, Dow is a material science company that provides a world-class portfolio of advanced, sustainable and leading-edge products. It is benefiting from cost synergy savings and productivity initiatives, along with its investment in high-return projects. DOW remains committed to investing in attractive areas through highly accretive projects. The company focuses on maintaining cost and operational discipline amid a challenging environment. Dow is taking action to cut costs by $1 billion to drive margins, with full benefits expected by 2026. It has also launched the “Transform to Outperform” program to boost productivity, reduce complexity, streamline its end-to-end processes and enable improved returns. The company is committed to returning value to its shareholders by leveraging healthy cash flows and has adequate liquidity to meet its short-term debt obligations.
Dow, a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stock, has expected earnings growth of 352.1% for 2026. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DOW’s 2026 earnings has been revised 132.4% higher over the past 30 days. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Price and Consensus: DOW
Albemarle: North Carolina-based Albemarle is a premier specialty chemicals company with leading positions in attractive end markets globally. Albemarle is well-placed to gain from long-term growth in the battery-grade lithium market. The market for lithium batteries and energy storage remains strong, especially for electric vehicles (EVs), offering significant opportunities for the company to develop innovative products and expand capacity. Lithium demand is expected to grow with significant global EV penetration. ALB is strategically executing its projects aimed at boosting its global lithium conversion capacity. It remains focused on investing in high-return projects to drive productivity. Albemarle is also taking actions to cut costs, optimize its conversion network and increase efficiencies to preserve its long-term competitive position.
Albemarle, a Zacks Rank #1 stock, has expected earnings growth of 1,675.9% for 2026. The consensus estimate for ALB’s 2026 earnings has been revised 39.9% higher over the past 30 days. The company beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in three of the trailing four quarters. In this timeframe, it delivered an earnings surprise of 74.5%, on average.
Price and Consensus: ALB
Methanex: Vancouver-based Methanex is the world’s biggest supplier of methanol to major international markets. The Geismar 3 plant enhanced the company’s asset portfolio and future cash generation. Healthy methanol demand in traditional chemical applications also bodes well. The acquisition of OCI Global's international methanol business allows MEOH to strengthen its global production capacity, benefiting from North America’s abundant and favorably priced natural gas feedstock. The buyout will provide operational synergies along with opportunities for revenue diversification. MEOH is also committed to delivering excess cash to its shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases.
Methanex, carrying a Zacks Rank #1, has expected earnings growth of 231% for 2026. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MEOH’s 2026 earnings has been revised 47.7% upward over the past 30 days.
Price and Consensus: MEOH
Air Products: Based in Pennsylvania, Air Products is a leading industrial gases company. The company is benefiting from investments in high-return projects, new business deals, acquisitions and productivity initiatives. It remains committed to its gasification strategy and is executing its growth projects. These projects are expected to be accretive to earnings and cash flows. APD is also boosting productivity to improve its cost structure. It is seeing the positive impacts of its productivity actions. Benefits from additional productivity and cost improvement programs are likely to support its margins.
Air Products, a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock, has expected earnings growth of 9.7% for fiscal 2026. The consensus estimate for fiscal 2026 earnings has gone up 1.3% over the past 30 days.
Air Products and Chemicals shifts from a buy to a hold as return/risk profile normalizes. The rating adjustment is based on a few key changes both in terms of geopolitics and operating updates from its FQ2 earnings report. APD's FQ2 2026 earnings beat expectations, but helium supply risks persist with the uncertainties in the Hormuz Strait.
Are you looking to generate passive income from your portfolio? If so, dividend stocks are for you. Investing in high-quality, dividend-paying companies gives you a share of established companies that pay investors a share of their earnings over time.
While some companies optimize for high payouts, their dividends can fluctuate widely and are far from reliable. By investing in companies that consistently raise their annual dividend payments, you benefit from predictable passive income and also lower volatility, as these companies tend to handle market drawdowns better than non-dividend-paying companies.
If this sounds appealing to you, here are three dividend energy stocks that are smart buys today.
Image source: Getty Images.
ExxonMobil: 43 consecutive years of raising its annual dividend ExxonMobil (XOM +0.14%) is a major player in the oil and gas industry that has grown its dividend payout for 43 consecutive years. Last year, the company paid out $17 billion in dividends to shareholders, making it one of the largest dividend payers in the S&P 500 index. It returned another $20 billion to shareholders through share repurchases.
The oil giant's long history of returning capital to shareholders is a testament to its integrated business model, which operates across the oil and gas value chain. ExxonMobil strategically focuses on "advantaged" assets, or high-quality assets that are characterized by low operating costs, low emissions, and high returns on investment. These advantaged assets are projected to make up 65% of its upstream production by 2030.
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The company is ruthless with its energy portfolio, continuously evaluating its assets to determine whether it can divest lower-performing ones and add higher-performing advantaged ones. Since 2019, the company has divested $25 billion in assets and captured $15 billion in cumulative structural cost savings.
Looking ahead, ExxonMobil stands to benefit from elevated oil prices as the conflict with Iran lingers. The company projects that upstream production will grow to 4.9 million oil-equivalent barrels per day (Moebd) in 2026 and reach approximately 5.5 Moebd by 2030. Oil markets remain tight, and ExxonMobil has done an excellent job rewarding shareholders for decades, making it a top dividend stock for investors today.
NextEra Energy: 32 consecutive years of raising its annual dividend NextEra Energy (NEE +1.35%) operates as a massive electric utility company through Florida Power & Light, and as a renewable energy business, NextEra Energy Resources. The company has a strong track record of increasing its dividend payout, having done so every year for the past 32 years, thanks to its regulated utility business that provides visibility into future growth.
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The company recently made headlines with its acquisition of Dominion Energy in an all-stock transaction announced in mid-May. The move would create the world's largest regulated electric utility company, serving 10 million customers across Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The move could face some regulatory challenges, but management expects to close the transaction in 12 to 18 months.
Looking forward, management projects the company's earnings per share (EPS) for this year will be between $3.92 and $4.02, targeting the higher end of the range. The company expects to grow dividends per share by about 10%. It continues to see solid growth and believes it will finalize a deal with one large-load data center customer by the end of this year. For investors seeking passive income and growth upside, NextEra Energy is an excellent choice.
Air Products and Chemicals: 44 consecutive years of raising its annual dividend Air Products and Chemicals (APD +1.26%) is another highly reliable dividend stock. The company, which specializes in industrial gases and chemicals, has paid a dividend every year since 1954 and raised its payout for each of the past 44 years.
What makes Air Products a reliable dividend stock is its steady business, secured by 15- to 20-year contracts, which provides excellent visibility into future earnings. Not only that, as one of only a few major players in its industry, it benefits from high barriers to entry and pricing power, giving it a robust competitive advantage.
Air Products has done a good job of de-risking its business and exercising cost discipline. In recent years, it has restricted and eliminated lower-margin segments, ensuring steady profitability to help fund its growing dividend. The company is also pivoting toward clean energy production, investing billions of dollars in green hydrogen production in Saudi Arabia and blue hydrogen production and carbon capture in Louisiana and Canada.
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Disruptions in the Middle East have had a significant effect on helium prices, including at Qatar's Ras Laffan energy complex, which controls 30% of global helium production. The disruption has reversed the decline in helium prices, which had been falling coming into this year amid helium oversupply. On top of this, higher oil prices and supply constraints have driven chemical prices higher, and APD's pricing power has enabled its North American refining and chemical segments to perform well.
While its industry is volatile, Air Products has a proven track record of rewarding investors, making it another reliable income stock to add to your portfolio today.
A downtrend has been apparent in Air Products and Chemicals (APD - Free Report) lately with too much selling pressure. The stock has declined 7.5% over the past four weeks. However, given the fact that it is now in oversold territory and Wall Street analysts are majorly in agreement about the company's ability to report better earnings than they predicted earlier, the stock could be due for a turnaround.
We use Relative Strength Index (RSI), one of the most commonly used technical indicators, for spotting whether a stock is oversold. This is a momentum oscillator that measures the speed and change of price movements.
RSI oscillates between zero and 100. Usually, a stock is considered oversold when its RSI reading falls below 30.
Technically, every stock oscillates between being overbought and oversold irrespective of the quality of their fundamentals. And the beauty of RSI is that it helps you quickly and easily check if a stock's price is reaching a point of reversal.
So, by this measure, if a stock has gotten too far below its fair value just because of unwarranted selling pressure, investors may start looking for entry opportunities in the stock for benefiting from the inevitable rebound.
However, like every investing tool, RSI has its limitations, and should not be used alone for making an investment decision.
Why APD Could Bounce Back Before LongThe heavy selling of APD shares appears to be in the process of exhausting itself, as indicated by its RSI reading of 29.54. So, the trend for the stock could reverse soon for reaching the old equilibrium of supply and demand.
This technical indicator is not the only factor that calls for a potential rebound for the stock. There is a fundamental indicator as well. A strong agreement among sell-side analysts covering APD in raising earnings estimates for the current year has led to an increase in the consensus EPS estimate by 1.2% over the last 30 days. And an upward trend in earnings estimate revisions usually translates into price appreciation in the near term.
Moreover, APD currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), which means it is in the top 20% of more than 4,000 stocks that we rank based on trends in earnings estimate revisions and EPS surprises. This is a more conclusive indication of the stock's potential turnaround in the near term. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> .
The Expansion, which has created more than 70 new positions, is Driven by Growing Interest in the Biogas, Aerospace and Marine Industries
Air Products Foundation also Announced $30,000 in Grants to Support Local Non-Profit Organizations
, /PRNewswire/ -- Air Products (NYSE:APD), the global leader in the production of gas separation and purification membranes, today hosted a ribbon-cutting celebration at the new $70 million expansion of its Missouri Manufacturing and Logistics Center in Maryland Heights, near St. Louis, Missouri.
The expansion, which is Air Products Membrane Solutions' largest ever investment in a single location, is driven by growing product demand in biogas and hydrogen recovery applications, as well as customer needs for the use of nitrogen for the aerospace industry and cleaner fuels for the marine industry.
Products manufactured at the new facility will include the PRISM® GreenSep membrane separator for bio-LNG production, and the PRISM® N2Sep membrane separator designed to separate nitrogen from compressed air.
"This is a great day for Air Products Membrane Solutions and the area community," said Dr. Erin Sorensen, general manager, Air Products Membrane Solutions. "This expansion of our Maryland Heights facility enables Air Products Membrane Solutions to meet growing customer demand and help our customers work more efficiently and further our collaborative goal of building a cleaner, more productive world."
A crowd of more than 100 guests including state and local leaders joined Air Products Membrane Solutions employees for the event. Those in attendance included program speakers Walter Nelson, Air Products, President, Equipment Business & Technical Solutions; Kayla Kueckelhan, Deputy Director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development; and Mike Moeller, Mayor, Maryland Heights, Missouri.
Air Products has completed more than 70 hires in the region to support the new manufacturing facility. More than 250 employees now work at the facility.
At the event, the Air Products Foundation also announced two grants totaling $30,000 to support non-profits in the St. Louis area. The Air Products Foundation awarded $15,000 to Backstoppers, a nonprofit that supports first responders, and $15,000 to The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
Air Products Membrane Solutions specializes in the development of hollow fiber membrane separators and systems for onsite gas generation. Air Products Membrane Solutions designs, engineers, manufactures, and markets a full portfolio of PRISM® Membrane Separators, Marine Systems, and Engineered-to-Order Systems to protect lives and goods at sea, on land, and in the air. Air Products' systems are also designed to create more sustainable energy sources and raise productivity across a variety of industries and applications.
For more information on Air Products Membrane Solutions, visit membranesolutions.com.
About Air Products
Air Products (NYSE: APD) is a world-leading industrial gases company in operation for over 85 years focused on serving energy, environmental, and emerging markets and generating a cleaner future. The Company supplies essential industrial gases, related equipment and applications expertise to customers in dozens of industries, including refining, chemicals, metals, electronics, manufacturing, medical and food. As the leading global supplier of hydrogen, Air Products also develops, engineers, builds, owns and operates some of the world's largest clean hydrogen projects, supporting the transition to low- and zero-carbon energy in the industrial and heavy-duty transportation sectors. Through its sale of equipment businesses, the Company also provides turbomachinery, membrane systems and cryogenic containers globally.
Air Products had fiscal 2025 sales of $12 billion from operations in approximately 50 countries. For more information, visit airproducts.com or follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook or Instagram.
This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on management's expectations and assumptions as of the date of this release and are not guarantees of future performance. While forward-looking statements are made in good faith and based on assumptions, expectations and projections that management believes are reasonable based on currently available information, actual performance and financial results may differ materially from projections and estimates expressed in the forward-looking statements because of many factors, including the risk factors described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025 and other factors disclosed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, we disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the assumptions, beliefs or expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances upon which any such forward-looking statements are based.
Investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Air Products and Chemicals (APD - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.
Air Products and Chemicals is one of 248 individual stocks in the Basic Materials sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #8 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.
The Zacks Rank emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find stocks with improving earnings outlooks. This system has a long record of success, and these stocks tend to be on track to beat the market over the next one to three months. Air Products and Chemicals is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for APD's full-year earnings has moved 1.5% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.
Based on the latest available data, APD has gained about 14.6% so far this year. Meanwhile, stocks in the Basic Materials group have gained about 10.6% on average. This means that Air Products and Chemicals is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.
One other Basic Materials stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Perimeter Solutions, SA (PRM - Free Report) . The stock is up 19% year-to-date.
Over the past three months, Perimeter Solutions, SA's consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 30.8%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Looking more specifically, Air Products and Chemicals belongs to the Chemical - Diversified industry, which includes 29 individual stocks and currently sits at #87 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 22.8% so far this year, so APD is slightly underperforming its industry in this area.
Perimeter Solutions, SA, however, belongs to the Chemical - Specialty industry. Currently, this 44-stock industry is ranked #104. The industry has moved +11.3% so far this year.
Air Products and Chemicals and Perimeter Solutions, SA could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.
Whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities, all investors love seeing their portfolios score big returns. But when you're an income investor, your primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments.
While cash flow can come from bond interest or interest from other types of investments, income investors hone in on dividends. A dividend is the distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders; it's often viewed by its dividend yield, a metric that measures a dividend as a percent of the current stock price. Many academic studies show that dividends make up large portions of long-term returns, and in many cases, dividend contributions surpass one-third of total returns.
Air Products and Chemicals (APD - Free Report) is headquartered in Allentown, and is in the Basic Materials sector. The stock has seen a price change of 14.56% since the start of the year. Currently paying a dividend of $1.81 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 2.56%. In comparison, the Chemical - Diversified industry's yield is 1.5%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.45%.
Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $7.24 is up 1.7% from last year. Over the last 5 years, Air Products and Chemicals has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis for an average annual increase of 6.01%. Looking ahead, future dividend growth will be dependent on earnings growth and payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Air Products and Chemicals's current payout ratio is 56%, meaning it paid out 56% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.
APD is expecting earnings to expand this fiscal year as well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 is $13.20 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 9.73%.
Investors like dividends for many reasons; they greatly improve stock investing profits, decrease overall portfolio risk, and carry tax advantages, among others. It's important to keep in mind that not all companies provide a quarterly payout.
For instance, it's a rare occurrence when a tech start-up or big growth business offers its shareholders a dividend. It's more common to see larger companies with more established profits give out dividends. Income investors have to be mindful of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. That said, they can take comfort from the fact that APD is not only an attractive dividend play, but also represents a compelling investment opportunity with a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Key Takeaways APD raised fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $13-$13.25 on strong first-half execution.APD is advancing NEOM and Louisiana projects that are expected to support earnings and cash flows.Air Products will also benefit from its actions to drive productivity and improve its cost structure. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (APD - Free Report) is benefiting from investments in high-return projects, new business deals, acquisitions and productivity initiatives.
We are positive about APD’s prospects and believe that the time is right for you to add the stock to the portfolio, as it looks promising and is poised to carry the momentum ahead.
Let's see what makes APD stock an attractive investment option at the moment.
Positive Analyst Sentiment for APD StockEarnings estimates for APD have been going up over the past 60 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2026 has increased by 1.5%. The consensus estimate for fiscal 2027 has also been revised 1.2% upward over the same time frame. The favorable estimate revisions instill investor confidence in the stock.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for APD’s fiscal 2026 earnings is pegged at $13.2, suggesting a 9.7% increase from the previous year’s tally. Earnings are projected to increase by 7.3% in fiscal 2027.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
APD’s Positive Earnings Surprise HistoryAir Products has outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters. In this time frame, it has delivered an earnings surprise of roughly 3%, on average.
APD’s Superior Return on Equity (ROE)ROE is a measure of a company’s efficiency in utilizing shareholders’ funds. ROE for the trailing 12-months for Air Products is 16.1%, above the industry’s level of 2.9%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Upbeat OutlookAir Products raised its full-year fiscal 2026 adjusted earnings guidance to $13-$13.25 per share, supported by its strong first-half performance and expectations for continued execution on pricing and productivity. Management said new asset contributions are expected to build through the second half, adding to the underlying earnings profile.
For the third quarter of fiscal 2026, Air Products expects adjusted earnings of $3.25-$3.35 per share, implying 5-8% growth from the prior-year period. The company maintained its fiscal 2026 capital expenditures outlook of approximately $4 billion.
High-Return Projects & Productivity Actions Aid Air ProductsAir Products is well-placed to gain from its investments in high-return industrial gas projects and productivity measures. It remains focused on its gasification strategy and is executing its key growth projects. These projects are expected to be accretive to earnings and cash flows.
Currently, APD is making progress with its two major projects — the NEOM green hydrogen project in Saudi Arabia and the Louisiana Clean Energy Complex. The Louisiana project is expected to produce more than 750 million standard cubic feet per day of blue hydrogen for local and global markets. The NEOM Green Hydrogen Project in Saudi Arabia is expected to supply up to 1.2 million tons per year of renewable ammonia. Air Products and Yara International are in advanced negotiations to partner on these large-scale, low-emission ammonia projects.
Air Products is also driving productivity to improve its cost structure. It is seeing the positive impacts of its productivity actions. Benefits from additional productivity and cost improvement programs are likely to support its margins moving ahead. The company also remains focused on improving pricing amid an inflationary environment. Air Products is also taking action to right-size the organization through headcount reductions and expects these reductions to result in $250 million in annual cost savings once completed. It has already realized roughly $50 million in savings from headcount reduction, as divulged in its fiscal second quarter earnings call.
Air Products remains committed to maximizing returns to shareholders by leveraging its strong balance sheet and cash flows. Its board, in January 2026, increased its quarterly dividend to $1.81 per share. This marked the 44th straight year of dividend increase. The company returned roughly $1.6 billion to shareholders through dividends in 2025.
APD generated an operating cash flow of around $3.3 billion in fiscal 2025 and $2 billion in the first six months ended March 31, 2026. The company also returned $800 million to shareholders in the first half of fiscal 2026. Strong cash flow enables the company to boost shareholders’ value by increasing dividends and capital deployment.
APD’s Zacks Rank & Key PicksAPD currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Other top-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space are Nucor Corporation (NUE - Free Report) , L.B. Foster Company (FSTR - Free Report) and Albemarle Corporation (ALB - Free Report) , each carrying a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Nucor’s current-year earnings stands at $14.84 per share, implying an 92.5% year-over-year increase. NUE’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two of the trailing four quarters and missed twice, with an average surprise of 8.1%.
The consensus estimate for L.B. Foster’s current-year earnings is pegged at $1.74 per share, implying a 152.2% year-over-year increase. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for FSTR’s current-year earnings has been revised 12.3% higher over the past 60 days.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Albemarle’s current-year earnings is pegged at $12.39 per share, indicating a 1,668.4% year-over-year increase. ALB’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters and missed once, with an average surprise of 54.1%.
Investors looking for stocks in the Chemical - Diversified sector might want to consider either Dow Inc. (DOW - Free Report) or Air Products and Chemicals (APD - Free Report) . But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look.
The best way to find great value stocks is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with an impressive grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits.
Currently, Dow Inc. has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while Air Products and Chemicals has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Investors should feel comfortable knowing that DOW likely has seen a stronger improvement to its earnings outlook than APD has recently. But this is just one factor that value investors are interested in.
Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when a company is undervalued at its current share price levels.
Our Value category grades stocks based on a number of key metrics, including the tried-and-true P/E ratio, the P/S ratio, earnings yield, and cash flow per share, as well as a variety of other fundamentals that value investors frequently use.
DOW currently has a forward P/E ratio of 12.87, while APD has a forward P/E of 21.07. We also note that DOW has a PEG ratio of 0.23. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. APD currently has a PEG ratio of 2.44.
Another notable valuation metric for DOW is its P/B ratio of 1.45. The P/B ratio pits a stock's market value against its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. For comparison, APD has a P/B of 3.41.
Based on these metrics and many more, DOW holds a Value grade of B, while APD has a Value grade of D.
DOW sticks out from APD in both our Zacks Rank and Style Scores models, so value investors will likely feel that DOW is the better option right now.
