APD vs. GFI: Air Products and Chemicals vs. Gold Fields Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Gold Fields (GFI) 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 Gold Fields (GFI) both fall under the Materials industry group, but APD is classified in Chemicals while GFI is classified in Metals & Mining.

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) trades as ordinary local shares, while Gold Fields (GFI) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Gold Fields (GFI)
Profile Item	APD	GFI
Name	Air Products and Chemicals Inc.	Gold Fields Ltd. Sponsored ADR
Country/Region	United States	South Africa
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Industrial Gases	Gold
Market Capitalization	67.88 billion USD	34.65 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	March 17, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

APD

GFI

GSPC

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Gold Fields (GFI), 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 Gold Fields (GFI). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Gold Fields (GFI). 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 Gold Fields (GFI)
Metric	APD	GFI
Total Return (1Y)	23.26%	9.54%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	8.49%	51.07%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	2.43%	38.08%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

APD

GFI

GSPC

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Gold Fields (GFI), 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 Gold Fields (GFI). 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 Gold Fields (GFI)
Metric	APD	GFI
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	25.21%	60.41%
Beta (5Y)	0.67	0.64
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-31.77%	-56.22%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.06M	3.78M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

APD and GFI 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 Gold Fields (GFI)
Metric	APD	GFI
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.75	0.09
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.14	0.12

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Gold Fields (GFI) at 58.68% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 3.19%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

APD

Materials industry group

3.19%

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

GFI

Materials industry group

58.68%

GFI: 58.68%
Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Gold Fields (GFI) at 38.66% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 4.10%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

APD

Materials industry group

4.10%

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

GFI

Materials industry group

38.66%

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

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Gold Fields (GFI) at 55.00% 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%

GFI

Materials industry group

55.00%

Max: 66.70%
GFI: 55.00%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Gold Fields (GFI)
Metric	APD	GFI
ROE (TTM)	3.19%	58.68%
ROA (TTM)	4.80%	28.52%
Net Margin (TTM)	4.10%	38.66%
Operating Margin (TTM)	17.68%	55.00%
Gross Margin (TTM)	31.58%	57.77%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Gold Fields (GFI) at 68.24% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at -0.52% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in revenue momentum.

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

EPS Growth

Gold Fields (GFI) at 185.51% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at -110.30% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in earnings momentum.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Gold Fields (GFI)
Metric	APD	GFI
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-0.52%	68.24%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-1.77%	26.86%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-110.30%	185.51%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	71.58%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Gold Fields (GFI) at 1.87 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

GFI

Materials industry group

1.87

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
GFI: 1.87
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Gold Fields (GFI) at 0.29 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

GFI

Materials industry group

0.29

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
GFI: 0.29
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): 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 Gold Fields (GFI)
Metric	APD	GFI
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.07	1.87
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.06	0.29
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.61	0.06

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 2.33% earns its spot in the top quartile of its industry’s yields; Gold Fields (GFI) at 5.65% is past the top of its own peer range — territory where a dividend-safety check matters more than the headline number.

APD

Materials industry group

2.33%

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

GFI

Materials industry group

5.65%

GFI: 5.65%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Gold Fields (GFI) at 31.81% 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%

GFI

Materials industry group

31.81%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
GFI: 31.81%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Gold Fields (GFI)
Metric	APD	GFI
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.33%	5.65%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	75.66%	31.81%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Gold Fields (GFI) at 8.03 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 127.55 trades above its peer range — a wide earnings-valuation gap relative to industry peers.

APD

Materials industry group

127.55

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

GFI

Materials industry group

8.03

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
GFI: 8.03
Min: 3.93

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Gold Fields (GFI) at 3.05 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

GFI

Materials industry group

3.05

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
GFI: 3.05
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 4.76 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Gold Fields (GFI) at 7.78 prices even higher, above its industry range.

APD

Materials industry group

4.76

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

GFI

Materials industry group

7.78

GFI: 7.78
Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Gold Fields (GFI): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Gold Fields (GFI)
Metric	APD	GFI
P/E Ratio (TTM)	127.55	8.03
P/S Ratio (TTM)	5.23	3.05
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	4.76	7.78
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-0.28%	12.05%