Is APD or NUE cheaper?

On trailing earnings, NUE is cheaper: APD trades at a 29.79 P/E and NUE at 26.37.

Which has grown faster, APD or NUE?

Over the past five years, NUE grew revenue faster — APD at a 6.12% CAGR versus NUE at 9.67%.

Does APD or NUE pay a bigger dividend?

APD yields 2.55% and NUE yields 0.83% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.

Is APD or NUE more profitable?

APD runs the higher net margin — APD at 16.91% versus NUE at 6.82%.

Which has been the better investment, APD or NUE?

Over the past 10-year, NUE delivered the higher annualized total return — APD at 10.26% versus NUE at 20.73%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (APD) vs Nucor Corporation (NUE)

NUE leads on 10 of 17 compared metrics.

A side-by-side comparison of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. and Nucor Corporation across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of June 13, 2026. The ● marks the stronger figure on each row (cheaper multiple, higher margin/return).

APD

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

$62.71B

$281.62Basic Materials

NUE

Nucor Corporation

$60.66B

$266.35Basic Materials

Total return — APD vs NUE

growth of $100 · last 30y

APD +950.4%NUE +1967.9%NUE compounded faster

APD NUE

APD vs NUE: by the numbers

•APD is the larger company ($62.71B vs $60.66B market cap).
•NUE trades at the lower earnings multiple (26.37 vs 29.79 P/E).
•APD converts more revenue to profit (16.91% vs 6.82% net margin).
•NUE grew revenue faster over the past five years (9.67% vs 6.12% CAGR).
•APD pays the higher dividend yield (2.55% vs 0.83%).

Which is better, APD or NUE?

Metric tally: APD 7 · NUE 10

It depends on what you're optimizing for:

ValueNUE(lower P/E)

GrowthNUE(faster 5Y revenue CAGR)

IncomeAPD(higher dividend yield)

QualityNUE(higher ROIC)

Valuation

Metric	APD	NUE
P/E ratio	29.79	26.37●
Forward P/E	19.71	16.16●
P/S ratio	5.04	1.79●
P/B ratio	4.01	2.85●
PEG ratio	1.40	1.01●
EV / EBITDA	17.66	13.38●
FCF yield	1.76%●	0.87%

Profitability

Metric	APD	NUE
Gross margin	31.98%●	13.98%
Operating margin	18.41%●	10.04%
Net margin	16.91%●	6.82%
ROE	13.47%●	10.87%
ROIC	-1.82%	6.74%●

Dividends

Metric	APD	NUE
Dividend yield	2.55%●	0.83%
Payout ratio	—	29.48%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	APD	NUE
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	6.12%	9.67%●
EPS CAGR (5Y)	16.58%	26.02%●
FCF CAGR (5Y)	6.54%●	-19.62%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	1.21%	21.93%●

Frequently asked

Which is better, APD or NUE?: It depends on your goal. value: NUE (lower P/E); growth: NUE (faster 5Y revenue CAGR); income: APD (higher dividend yield); quality: NUE (higher ROIC). Across all compared metrics, NUE leads 10 to 7.
Is APD or NUE cheaper?: On trailing earnings, NUE is cheaper: APD trades at a 29.79 P/E and NUE at 26.37.
Which has grown faster, APD or NUE?: Over the past five years, NUE grew revenue faster — APD at a 6.12% CAGR versus NUE at 9.67%.
Does APD or NUE pay a bigger dividend?: APD yields 2.55% and NUE yields 0.83% based on trailing dividends and the latest price.
Is APD or NUE more profitable?: APD runs the higher net margin — APD at 16.91% versus NUE at 6.82%.
Which has been the better investment, APD or NUE?: Over the past 10-year, NUE delivered the higher annualized total return — APD at 10.26% versus NUE at 20.73%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full APD analysis Full NUE analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Air Products and Chemicals P/E ratio Nucor P/E ratio Air Products and Chemicals dividend yield Nucor dividend yield Air Products and Chemicals ROE Nucor ROE Air Products and Chemicals operating margin Nucor operating margin Air Products and Chemicals revenue growth Nucor revenue growth Air Products and Chemicals free cash flow Nucor free cash flow

Air Products and Chemicals & Nucor appear in these rankings

Highest Dividend Yield Stocks Dividend Aristocrats Best 10-Year Total Return Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified June 13, 2026.