ALTO vs APD vs BCPC Stock Comparison

Alto Ingredients, Air Products & Chemicals and Balchem Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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ALTO Alto Ingredients, Inc.
$3.65 +0.6% 1M +257.8% 1Y
Market cap
$263.80M
P/E
5.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$943.33M
Div. yield
–
Specialty Chemicals Basic Materials
4 wins
BCPC Balchem Corp
$170.40 +1.9% 1M +10.9% 1Y
Market cap
$5.54B
P/E
32.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.11B
Div. yield
–
Specialty Chemicals Basic Materials
6 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Balchem leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Balchem 6, Alto Ingredients 4, Air Products & Chemicals 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionALTOAPDBCPCLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $263.80M $70.53B $5.54B APD
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 5.2x -1,491x 32.4x ALTO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 9.9x 22.2x 33.1x ALTO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +1.1% +4.5% +9.4% BCPC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 5.4% -0.4% 15.4% BCPC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 0.0% 12.1% BCPC
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.6x 17.4x 0.3x BCPC
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.02% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +257.8% +25.5% +10.9% ALTO
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -7.3%/yr +0.8%/yr +2.2%/yr BCPC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 86.3% 26.2% 20.9% BCPC
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 84/100 39/100 67/100 ALTO

Percentile Scorecard

ALTOAPDBCPC

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisALTOAPDBCPC
Valuation 100 #1 of 94 19 #76 of 94 34 #62 of 94
Growth 97 #4 of 92 42 #54 of 92 85 #15 of 92
Profitability 65 #31 of 86 49 #44 of 86 89 #10 of 86
Financial Health 76 #23 of 93 20 #75 of 93 87 #13 of 93
Shareholder Returns – 64 #26 of 71 41 #42 of 71
Overall 84 39 67
  • ALTO ranked among 99 companies in Chemicals
  • APD ranked among 99 companies in Chemicals
  • BCPC ranked among 99 companies in Chemicals

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodALTOAPDBCPCSPY
1 month +0.6%+11.6%+1.9% +0.7%
3 months -21.0%+3.9%+4.7% +3.7%
6 months -33.9%+3.8%+5.4% +7.1%
Year to date +26.7%+26.1%+11.1% +12.8%
1 year +257.8%+25.5%+10.9% +11.9%
3 years -11.2%+11.0%+47.4% +85.2%
3 years, per year -3.9%+3.5%+13.8% +22.8%
5 years -31.4%+3.9%+11.3% +67.6%
5 years, per year -7.3%+0.8%+2.2% +10.9%
10 years -51.3%+132.9%+125.5% +262.0%
10 years, per year -6.9%+8.8%+8.5% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureALTOAPDBCPCSPY
Volatility, 1Y 86.3%26.2%20.9% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 67.8%24.4%19.4% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.310.070.14 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 2.990.970.52 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -89.1%-33.8%-34.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -39.1%-0.8%-7.0% -1.2%
52-week high $5.99$314.19$183.26 $779.14
52-week low $1.01$230.76$147.36 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleALTOAPDBCPC
P/E now vs peer median 5.4xmedian 21.0x -1,468xmedian 21.0x 31.6xmedian 21.0x
P/S now vs peer median 0.3xmedian 1.4x 5.5xmedian 1.4x 4.9xmedian 1.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 5.2xmedian 12.9x 90.3xmedian 12.9x 19.8xmedian 12.9x
P/FCF now vs peer median 5.7xmedian 15.5x -230.2xmedian 15.5x 30.5xmedian 15.5x
P/B now vs peer median 1.1xmedian 1.7x 4.2xmedian 1.7x 4.1xmedian 1.7x
PEG now vs peer median 0.14median 1.68 55.50median 1.68 1.68median 1.68

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsALTOAPDBCPC
Revenue $943.33M $12.60B $1.11B
Gross profit $64.51M $4.04B $404.38M
Operating income $35.61M -$593.10M $229.57M
Net income $51.99M -$19.70M $170.85M
Free cash flow $49.94M -$301.40M $178.00M
R&D – $90.80M $20.81M
EPS (diluted) $0.66 $-0.21 $5.33
Cash & equivalents $23.96M $980.50M $66.26M
Total debt $60.47M $17.48B $145.94M
Shares (diluted) 77.07M 222.80M 32.03M
Enterprise value $163.60M $65.71B $5.27B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricALTOAPDBCPC
P/E 5.4x -1,468x 31.6x
P/FCF 5.7x -230.2x 30.5x
P/Operating cash flow 4.4x 15.2x 24.2x
P/S 0.3x 5.5x 4.9x
P/B 1.1x 4.2x 4.1x
P/Tangible book 1.1x 4.3x 4.5x
EV/EBITDA 5.2x 90.3x 19.8x
EV/EBIT 9.0x -144.8x 24.0x
EV/Revenue 0.3x 6.8x 5.0x
EV/FCF 6.4x -285.0x 30.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 4.9x 18.8x 24.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.14 55.50 1.68

Growth

14 metrics
MetricALTOAPDBCPC
Revenue growth (1Y) 1.1% 4.5% 9.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -10.1% -1.0% 6.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 7,720% 5.1% 11.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 63.6% 2.7% 11.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 162.4% -138.7% 12.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 37.3% -31.0% 14.2%
Net income growth (1Y) 177.8% -101.2% 14.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 40.6% -26.2% 18.3%
EPS growth (1Y) 172.1% -103.1% 16.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 39.5% -26.4% 18.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 731.1% 54.8% 11.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 63.4% 13.1% 12.3%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 481.7% 93.5% 10.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 38.9% 27.5% 14.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricALTOAPDBCPC
Gross margin 6.8% 32.1% 36.5%
EBITDA margin 6.6% 7.5% 25.1%
Operating margin 3.8% -4.7% 20.7%
Pretax margin 5.4% -0.7% 19.9%
Net margin 5.4% -0.4% 15.4%
FCF margin 5.3% -2.4% 16.1%
Operating cash flow margin 6.9% 36.3% 20.2%
Return on equity 20.2% 0.0% 13.0%
Return on assets 13.1% 0.0% 10.1%
Return on invested capital – 0.0% 12.1%
Return on capital employed 10.4% -1.6% 15.0%
Asset turnover 2.4x 0.3x 0.7x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.3x -232.0x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 0.3% 0.4% 1.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricALTOAPDBCPC
Debt / assets 15.2% 43.2% 8.6%
Debt / equity 0.2x 1.1x 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.6x 17.4x 0.3x
Debt / FCF 1.2x -58.0x 0.8x
Liabilities / assets 34.6% 59.0% 22.1%
Equity / assets 65.4% 41.0% 77.9%
Interest coverage 3.8x -2.7x –
Current ratio 3.2x 1.1x 2.5x
Quick ratio 1.8x 0.6x 1.3x
Cash ratio 0.5x 0.2x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 1.43 2.58 10.93

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricALTOAPDBCPC
Dividend yield – 2.3% 0.6%
Net buyback yield – – 2.1%
Shareholder yield – 2.3% 2.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) – -8,114% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – -530.3% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 1.2% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 2.9% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusALTOAPDBCPC
Forward P/E 9.9xFY2026 22.2xFY2026 33.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $0.37FY2026 $14.01FY2026 $5.15FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +131.3%FY2026 +16.5%FY2026 +8.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -16.2% +5.2% +6.8%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.00BFY2026 $12.03BFY2026 $1.07BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +9.1%FY2026 -0.1%FY2026 +2.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +1.1% +8.5% +9.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersALTOAPDBCPC
Held by institutions 46.3% 91.2% 90.5%
Institutions holding 134 1,773 417
Change in shares held, QoQ +14.2% +2.0% +1.5%
Institutions buying 97 745 193
Institutions selling 25 723 162
Buyers to sellers 3.88 1.03 1.19

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

ALTOAPDBCPC
ALTO 1.00 0.16 -0.08
APD 0.16 1.00 0.19
BCPC -0.08 0.19 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ALTO, APD and BCPC?

Air Products & Chemicals (APD) is the largest by market capitalisation: Alto Ingredients (ALTO) $263.80M, Air Products & Chemicals (APD) $70.53B, Balchem (BCPC) $5.54B.

Which stock is cheaper, ALTO, APD and BCPC?

Alto Ingredients (ALTO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Alto Ingredients (ALTO) 5.2x, Air Products & Chemicals (APD) -1,491x, Balchem (BCPC) 32.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Alto Ingredients (ALTO) is cheapest (Alto Ingredients (ALTO) 9.9x, Air Products & Chemicals (APD) 22.2x, Balchem (BCPC) 33.1x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Balchem (BCPC) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Alto Ingredients (ALTO) +1.1%, Air Products & Chemicals (APD) +4.5%, Balchem (BCPC) +9.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Balchem (BCPC) has the highest net margin (Alto Ingredients (ALTO) 5.4%, Air Products & Chemicals (APD) -0.4%, Balchem (BCPC) 15.4%). On return on invested capital, Balchem (BCPC) leads (Air Products & Chemicals (APD) 0.0%, Balchem (BCPC) 12.1%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Alto Ingredients (ALTO) returned the most: Alto Ingredients (ALTO) +257.8%, Air Products & Chemicals (APD) +25.5%, Balchem (BCPC) +10.9%. Over five years, Balchem (BCPC) compounded fastest (Alto Ingredients (ALTO) -7.3%/yr, Air Products & Chemicals (APD) +0.8%/yr, Balchem (BCPC) +2.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Alto Ingredients (ALTO) 0.00%, Air Products & Chemicals (APD) 0.02%, Balchem (BCPC) 0.00%. Alto Ingredients (ALTO) and Balchem (BCPC) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Balchem (BCPC) has been the steadiest (Alto Ingredients (ALTO) 86.3%, Air Products & Chemicals (APD) 26.2%, Balchem (BCPC) 20.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ALTO, APD and BCPC?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Balchem (BCPC) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.