APD vs. FCX: Air Products and Chemicals vs. Freeport-McMoRan Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) 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 Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) both fall under the Materials industry group, but APD is classified in Chemicals while FCX is classified in Metals & Mining.

Company profile comparison for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Profile Item	APD	FCX
Name	Air Products and Chemicals Inc.	Freeport-McMoRan Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Industrial Gases	Copper
Market Capitalization	67.88 billion USD	85.33 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	July 10, 1995
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

APD

FCX

GSPC

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX), 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 Freeport-McMoRan (FCX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX). 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 Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	APD	FCX
Total Return (1Y)	23.26%	58.58%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	8.49%	24.99%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	2.43%	11.32%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

APD

FCX

GSPC

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX), 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 Freeport-McMoRan (FCX). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) has an aggressive beta of 1.37, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Air Products and Chemicals (APD) is defensive at 0.67 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	APD	FCX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	25.21%	48.40%
Beta (5Y)	0.67	1.37
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-31.77%	-51.26%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.06M	12.34M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

APD and FCX 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 Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	APD	FCX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.75	1.12
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.14	1.61

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 3.19% and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 15.72% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

APD

Materials industry group

3.19%

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

FCX

Materials industry group

15.72%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
FCX: 15.72%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 4.10% and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 13.03% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

APD

Materials industry group

4.10%

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

FCX

Materials industry group

13.03%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
FCX: 13.03%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 35.26% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 17.68%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

APD

Materials industry group

17.68%

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

FCX

Materials industry group

35.26%

Max: 66.70%
FCX: 35.26%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	APD	FCX
ROE (TTM)	3.19%	15.72%
ROA (TTM)	4.80%	7.99%
Net Margin (TTM)	4.10%	13.03%
Operating Margin (TTM)	17.68%	35.26%
Gross Margin (TTM)	31.58%	38.86%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 1.81% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at -0.52% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 16.92% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at -110.30% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	APD	FCX
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-0.52%	1.81%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-1.77%	4.39%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-110.30%	16.92%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-14.00%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 2.02 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

FCX

Materials industry group

2.02

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
FCX: 2.02
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 0.31 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 1.06 uses more debt funding than most peers.

APD

Materials industry group

1.06

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

FCX

Materials industry group

0.31

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
FCX: 0.31
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): 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 Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	APD	FCX
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.07	2.02
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.06	0.31
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.61	0.60

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 2.33% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 1.04% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, APD the richer one.

APD

Materials industry group

2.33%

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

FCX

Materials industry group

1.04%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
FCX: 1.04%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 25.21% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 75.66% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

APD

Materials industry group

75.66%

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

FCX

Materials industry group

25.21%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
FCX: 25.21%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	APD	FCX
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.33%	1.04%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	75.66%	25.21%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 24.97 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 127.55 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for APD’s trailing earnings.

APD

Materials industry group

127.55

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

FCX

Materials industry group

24.97

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
FCX: 24.97
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 3.23 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 5.23 sits in the pricier quartile — APD costs more per dollar of sales.

APD

Materials industry group

5.23

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

FCX

Materials industry group

3.23

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
FCX: 3.23
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 4.76 and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) at 3.97 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

APD

Materials industry group

4.76

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

FCX

Materials industry group

3.97

Max: 6.59
FCX: 3.97
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Freeport-McMoRan (FCX)
Metric	APD	FCX
P/E Ratio (TTM)	127.55	24.97
P/S Ratio (TTM)	5.23	3.23
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	4.76	3.97
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-0.28%	2.19%