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APD vs. DOW: Air Products and Chemicals vs. Dow Stock Comparison

How do Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Dow (DOW) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Dow (DOW) both belong to the Chemicals industry, though APD is classified under Industrial Gases while DOW falls under Commodity Chemicals.

Company profile comparison for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Dow (DOW)
Profile ItemAPDDOW
NameAir Products and Chemicals Inc.Dow Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorMaterialsMaterials
GICS Industry GroupMaterialsMaterials
GICS IndustryChemicalsChemicals
GICS Sub-IndustryIndustrial GasesCommodity Chemicals
Market Capitalization67.88 billion USD22.73 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980March 20, 2019
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

APD
DOW
GSPC
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Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Dow (DOW), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Dow (DOW). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Dow (DOW). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Dow (DOW)
MetricAPDDOW
Total Return (1Y)23.26%46.93%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)8.49%-8.46%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)2.43%-6.94%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

APD
DOW
GSPC
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Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Dow (DOW), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Dow (DOW). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Dow (DOW)
MetricAPDDOW
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)25.21%41.81%
Beta (5Y)0.670.44
Max Drawdown (5Y)-31.77%-64.37%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.06M8.52M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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APD and DOW are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Dow (DOW)
MetricAPDDOW
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.751.02
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.141.62

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Dow (DOW) reports a negative ROE of -3.24%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Air Products and Chemicals (APD) reports 3.19%, ranking against industry peers normally.

APD

Materials industry group

3.19%

Max
52.88%
Q3
19.49%
Median
8.76%
APD
3.19%
Q1
-3.41%
Min
-32.81%

DOW

Materials industry group

-3.24%

Max
52.88%
Q3
19.49%
Median
8.76%
DOW
-3.24%
Q1
-3.41%
Min
-32.81%
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Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Dow (DOW) reports a negative net margin of -2.11%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Air Products and Chemicals (APD) reports 4.10%, ranking against industry peers normally.

APD

Materials industry group

4.10%

Max
38.66%
Q3
15.98%
Median
5.28%
APD
4.10%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-20.40%

DOW

Materials industry group

-2.11%

Max
38.66%
Q3
15.98%
Median
5.28%
Q1
0.00%
DOW
-2.11%
Min
-20.40%
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Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 17.68% and Dow (DOW) at 6.78% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

APD

Materials industry group

17.68%

Max
66.70%
Q3
28.92%
APD
17.68%
Median
12.56%
Q1
3.28%
Min
-14.07%

DOW

Materials industry group

6.78%

Max
66.70%
Q3
28.92%
Median
12.56%
DOW
6.78%
Q1
3.28%
Min
-14.07%
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Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Dow (DOW)
MetricAPDDOW
ROE (TTM)3.19%-3.24%
ROA (TTM)4.80%1.87%
Net Margin (TTM)4.10%-2.11%
Operating Margin (TTM)17.68%6.78%
Gross Margin (TTM)31.58%11.01%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at -0.52% and Dow (DOW) at -6.97% post bottom-quartile revenue growth versus peers, pointing to weaker demand or pricing momentum than typical rivals.

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Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Neither side shows strong earnings momentum: Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at -110.30% sits in the bottom EPS growth quartile, and Dow (DOW) at -335.67% is weaker still, below its industry range.

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Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Dow (DOW)
MetricAPDDOW
Revenue Growth (YoY)-0.52%-6.97%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-1.77%-11.11%
EPS Growth (YoY)-110.30%-335.67%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)----

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Dow (DOW) at 1.76 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 1.07 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for APD.

APD

Materials industry group

1.07

Max
5.96
Q3
3.30
Median
2.24
Q1
1.45
APD
1.07
Min
0.16

DOW

Materials industry group

1.76

Max
5.96
Q3
3.30
Median
2.24
DOW
1.76
Q1
1.45
Min
0.16
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Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 1.06 and Dow (DOW) at 1.08 lean more heavily on debt funding than most peers, landing in the higher-leverage quartile of their industries.

APD

Materials industry group

1.06

Max
1.98
APD
1.06
Q3
0.89
Median
0.47
Q1
0.13
Min
0.00

DOW

Materials industry group

1.08

Max
1.98
DOW
1.08
Q3
0.89
Median
0.47
Q1
0.13
Min
0.00
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Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Dow (DOW)
MetricAPDDOW
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.071.76
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.061.08
Net Debt / EBITDA3.613.21

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 2.33% and Dow (DOW) at 4.38% offer top-quartile dividend income relative to share price within their industries.

APD

Materials industry group

2.33%

Max
4.52%
APD
2.33%
Q3
1.85%
Median
0.38%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

DOW

Materials industry group

4.38%

Max
4.52%
DOW
4.38%
Q3
1.85%
Median
0.38%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Dow (DOW) reports payout ratio above 100% at 700.00%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Air Products and Chemicals (APD) reports 75.66%, ranking against industry peers normally.

APD

Materials industry group

75.66%

Max
83.62%
APD
75.66%
Q3
41.37%
Median
9.54%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

DOW

Materials industry group

700.00%

DOW
700.00%
Max
83.62%
Q3
41.37%
Median
9.54%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Dow (DOW)
MetricAPDDOW
Dividend Yield (TTM)2.33%4.38%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)75.66%700.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Air Products and Chemicals (APD) trades at 127.55 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Dow (DOW) has no P/E ratio this period.

APD

Materials industry group

127.55

APD
127.55
Max
59.00
Q3
32.93
Median
18.82
Q1
11.96
Min
3.93

DOW

Materials industry group

--

Max
59.00
Q3
32.93
Median
18.82
Q1
11.96
Min
3.93
DOW
--
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Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Dow (DOW): DOW does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; APD is benchmarked against the Materials industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Dow (DOW) at 0.53 looks cheap on sales in the lower P/S ratio quartile, while Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 5.23 looks rich in the upper quartile — a clear gap in price per dollar of revenue.

APD

Materials industry group

5.23

Max
9.62
APD
5.23
Q3
4.34
Median
1.87
Q1
0.73
Min
0.00

DOW

Materials industry group

0.53

Max
9.62
Q3
4.34
Median
1.87
Q1
0.73
DOW
0.53
Min
0.00
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Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Dow (DOW) at 1.41 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 4.76 carries an above-peer premium to book — APD is pricier on assets.

APD

Materials industry group

4.76

Max
6.59
APD
4.76
Q3
3.55
Median
2.08
Q1
1.26
Min
-0.17

DOW

Materials industry group

1.41

Max
6.59
Q3
3.55
Median
2.08
DOW
1.41
Q1
1.26
Min
-0.17
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Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Dow (DOW): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Dow (DOW)
MetricAPDDOW
P/E Ratio (TTM)127.55--
P/S Ratio (TTM)5.230.53
P/B Ratio (MRQ)4.761.41
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)-0.28%3.95%