Does Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.'s (NYSE:APD) 16% Earnings Growth Reflect The Long-Term Trend?
When Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.'s (NYSE:APD) announced its latest earnings (30 June 2019), I wanted to understand how these figures stacked up against its past performance. The two benchmarks I used were Air Products and Chemicals's average earnings over the past couple of years, and its industry performance. These are useful yardsticks to help me gauge whether or not APD actually performed well. Below is a quick commentary on how I see APD has performed.
Check out our latest analysis for Air Products and Chemicals
Commentary On APD's Past Performance
APD's trailing twelve-month earnings (from 30 June 2019) of US$1.7b has jumped 16% compared to the previous year.
Furthermore, this one-year growth rate has exceeded its 5-year annual growth average of 9.9%, indicating the rate at which APD is growing has accelerated. How has it been able to do this? Well, let’s take a look at if it is only owing to an industry uplift, or if Air Products and Chemicals has experienced some company-specific growth.
In terms of returns from investment, Air Products and Chemicals has fallen short of achieving a 20% return on equity (ROE), recording 15% instead. However, its return on assets (ROA) of 9.2% exceeds the US Chemicals industry of 7.0%, indicating Air Products and Chemicals has used its assets more efficiently. Though, its return on capital (ROC), which also accounts for Air Products and Chemicals’s debt level, has declined over the past 3 years from 13% to 12%.
What does this mean?
Air Products and Chemicals's track record can be a valuable insight into its earnings performance, but it certainly doesn't tell the whole story. Positive growth and profitability are what investors like to see in a company’s track record, but how do we properly assess sustainability? You should continue to research Air Products and Chemicals to get a more holistic view of the stock by looking at:
Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for APD’s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for APD’s outlook.
Financial Health: Are APD’s operations financially sustainable? Balance sheets can be hard to analyze, which is why we’ve done it for you. Check out our financial health checks here.
Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here.
NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the trailing twelve months from 30 June 2019. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.
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