APD vs. NTR: Air Products and Chemicals vs. Nutrien Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Nutrien (NTR) 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 Nutrien (NTR) both belong to the Chemicals industry, though APD is classified under Industrial Gases while NTR falls under Fertilizers & Agricultural Chemicals.

Company profile comparison for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Nutrien (NTR)
Profile Item	APD	NTR
Name	Air Products and Chemicals Inc.	Nutrien Ltd.
Country/Region	United States	Canada
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Chemicals
GICS Sub-Industry	Industrial Gases	Fertilizers & Agricultural Chemicals
Market Capitalization	67.88 billion USD	33.89 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	January 2, 2018
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

APD

NTR

GSPC

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Nutrien (NTR), 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

Loading price history…

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

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Nutrien (NTR). 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 Nutrien (NTR)
Metric	APD	NTR
Total Return (1Y)	23.26%	30.80%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	8.49%	13.84%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	2.43%	4.29%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

APD

NTR

GSPC

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Nutrien (NTR), 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

Loading price history…

Distribution of monthly total returns for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Nutrien (NTR). 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 Nutrien (NTR)
Metric	APD	NTR
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	25.21%	32.77%
Beta (5Y)	0.67	0.64
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-31.77%	-58.17%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.06M	2.56M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

APD and NTR 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 Nutrien (NTR)
Metric	APD	NTR
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.75	0.81
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.14	1.18

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 3.19% and Nutrien (NTR) at 8.76% 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%

NTR

Materials industry group

8.76%

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

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 4.10% and Nutrien (NTR) at 8.04% 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%

NTR

Materials industry group

8.04%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
NTR: 8.04%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Nutrien (NTR): 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 Nutrien (NTR) at 10.97% 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%

NTR

Materials industry group

10.97%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
NTR: 10.97%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Nutrien (NTR)
Metric	APD	NTR
ROE (TTM)	3.19%	8.76%
ROA (TTM)	4.80%	4.24%
Net Margin (TTM)	4.10%	8.04%
Operating Margin (TTM)	17.68%	10.97%
Gross Margin (TTM)	31.58%	31.60%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Nutrien (NTR) at 3.52% 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. Nutrien (NTR): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Nutrien (NTR) at 242.65% 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. Nutrien (NTR): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Nutrien (NTR)
Metric	APD	NTR
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-0.52%	3.52%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-1.77%	-10.80%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-110.30%	242.65%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-30.99%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 1.07 and Nutrien (NTR) at 1.41 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

APD

Materials industry group

1.07

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

NTR

Materials industry group

1.41

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
NTR: 1.41
Min: 0.16

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Nutrien (NTR) at 0.55 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

NTR

Materials industry group

0.55

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
NTR: 0.55
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

Air Products and Chemicals (APD) vs. Nutrien (NTR): 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 Nutrien (NTR)
Metric	APD	NTR
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.07	1.41
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.06	0.55
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.61	2.38

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 2.33% and Nutrien (NTR) at 3.03% 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%

NTR

Materials industry group

3.03%

Max: 4.52%
NTR: 3.03%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Air Products and Chemicals (APD) at 75.66% and Nutrien (NTR) at 47.93% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

APD

Materials industry group

75.66%

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

NTR

Materials industry group

47.93%

Max: 83.62%
NTR: 47.93%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Nutrien (NTR)
Metric	APD	NTR
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.33%	3.03%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	75.66%	47.93%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Nutrien (NTR) at 15.61 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

NTR

Materials industry group

15.61

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
NTR: 15.61
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Nutrien (NTR) at 1.24 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

NTR

Materials industry group

1.24

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
NTR: 1.24
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Nutrien (NTR) at 1.32 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

NTR

Materials industry group

1.32

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
NTR: 1.32
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Air Products and Chemicals (APD) and Nutrien (NTR)
Metric	APD	NTR
P/E Ratio (TTM)	127.55	15.61
P/S Ratio (TTM)	5.23	1.24
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	4.76	1.32
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	-0.28%	5.77%