Air Products tops Wall Street estimates on higher prices

(Reuters) - Industrial gases maker Air Products beat Wall Street estimates for third-quarter profit on Thursday, backed by higher prices for its products.

In 2022, following a surge in energy costs, companies such as Air Products and its rival Linde raised their prices to protect their margins. The companies have largely maintained the upward pricing heading into the fiscal third quarter.

Shares of Air Products rose 7.6% in premarket trade.

In the Americas, Air Products' largest segment by revenue, sales were down 2% at $1.2 billion due to lower volume and unfavorable currency impact, which was partly offset by a 3% rise in pricing.

Rebounding from a decline in the January-March quarter, U.S. production at factories rose during the second quarter, helped by an uptick in June.

Sales in Asia and Europe also declined but volume rose by 1% in Europe.

Its corporate and other segment sales rose by 15% to $235 million, driven by higher liquefied natural-gas and other equipment sales.

The company is focusing on its clean fuel business and had said earlier in July it would sell its LNG process technology and equipment business to Honeywell for $1.81 billion in cash.

Air Products forecast fiscal fourth-quarter adjusted earnings in the range of $3.33 to $3.63 per share, compared with average analysts' estimate of $3.53, according to LSEG data.

The Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania-based company reported adjusted net income of $3.20 per share for the three months ended June 30, compared with average analysts' estimate of $3.03 per share.

(Reporting by Sourasis Bose in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)