Published on 16 Oct 2024 on Insider Monkey · via Yahoo Finance

Is Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (APD) the Best Basic Materials Stock To Buy...

We recently compiled a list of 10 Best Basic Materials Stocks To Buy Now. In this article, we will look at where Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) ranks among the best basic materials stocks to buy now.

The specialty chemicals industry holds the highest market weight (41.75%) among the several industries that make up the basic materials sector, despite its modest year-to-date return of 7.20%. Among the top performers in this industry are copper and gold, which had YTD returns of 28.25% and 28.32%, respectively. Additionally, building materials have grown rapidly, yielding a 19.46% YTD return. Nonetheless, several sectors of the economy are struggling. For example, steel and agricultural inputs have negative year-to-date returns of 13.78% and 2.08%, respectively. Coking coal lags with a YTD return of -19.12%, while other top performers include aluminum (33.03%), other precious metals & mining (48.76%), and silver (42.01%). Lastly, the chemicals industry has achieved a 3.17% YTD return. Overall, all industries in the basic materials sector experienced a 10.40% YTD return.