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Stock Comparison · Structural lead, mixed market

Air Products and Chemicals vs Freeport-McMoRan: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Freeport-McMoRan holds the cleaner structural position, with profitability as the main driver and growth adding further support. Air Products and Chemicals does not offset that deficit through any equally strong structural edge elsewhere. The market setup is mixed, without a decisive signal in either direction. The market is not adding a decisive signal either way — the structural read carries the weight.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

The comparison is mainly decided in profitability, with the rest of the profile carrying less weight. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. leads by 21 points on the overall comparison score.

Trajectory Similarity
0.74
Similar
Peer-set rank: #3
within Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.'s functional peer set

These two companies are linked by measured long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

A solid similarity means the pair shares a clearly comparable long-term financial profile, even if individual dimensions still differ.

The clearest structural overlap shows up in recent revenue growth and operating margin level.

Similarity drivers
recent revenue growthoperating margin level
What reduces the match
investment intensity
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
APD
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
35
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
FCX
Freeport-McMoRan Inc.
56
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: APD vs FCX Profitability 15 73 Stability 21 22 Valuation 51 53 Growth 53 69 APD FCX
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +58
#2 Growth +16
#3 Valuation +2
#4 Stability +1
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for APD and FCX Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer APDFCX Relative valuation Structural strength

The setup stays mixed because structure and the price setup do not align cleanly in one direction.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where APD and FCX each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY APD Elevated · below norm 0th 50th 100th 7 pct gap FCX Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 92nd 98th
APD (92nd percentile) and FCX (98th percentile) both sit in the upper portion of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
On profitability, Freeport-McMoRan Inc. ranks near the top of the group; Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. sits in the weaker half.
Growth
On growth, the same pattern holds: both rank well, but Freeport-McMoRan Inc. still sits higher.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
APD
15
FCX
73
Gap+58in favour of FCX

Capital efficiency adds support, with a 17.3-point ROIC advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. still looks less cycle-sensitive — that keeps the result from looking completely one-sided.

What this means for the comparison

Profitability is the clearest driver, and growth also supports Freeport-McMoRan Inc.'s broader structural position.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the APD vs FCX comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

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Similar profitability-driven comparisons

Explore how APD and FCX each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.