Google Finance: Airgas (AIRG)

Airgas on Google Finance: A Historical Overview

While Airgas, Inc. (AIRG) is no longer a publicly traded company, Google Finance maintains a historical record of its stock performance and related financial data. This information provides valuable insights for investors, analysts, and those studying mergers and acquisitions within the industrial gases sector.

Airgas was a leading U.S. distributor of industrial, medical, and specialty gases, as well as hardgoods like welding equipment and safety products. Its extensive network of branches and distribution centers served a diverse range of industries, including manufacturing, construction, healthcare, and energy.

Key Data Available on Google Finance

Google Finance provides access to historical AIRG stock prices, allowing users to track the company’s performance over time. This includes:

Daily open, high, low, and closing prices: Track intra-day and daily price fluctuations.
Trading volume: Gauge investor interest and market activity.
Historical charts: Visualize stock price trends and identify potential patterns.

Beyond price data, Google Finance often presents other financial information, potentially including:

Market capitalization: The total value of the company’s outstanding shares.
Price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio: A valuation metric comparing the stock price to earnings per share.
Earnings per share (EPS): A measure of company profitability.
News articles and press releases: Stay informed about company developments and market sentiment, especially during the period Airgas was publicly traded.

The Air Liquide Acquisition

The most significant event impacting Airgas’s history on Google Finance is its acquisition by Air Liquide, a global leader in industrial gases. In May 2016, Air Liquide completed its acquisition of Airgas in a deal valued at approximately $13.4 billion. Consequently, AIRG stock was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and ceased to be publicly traded.

This acquisition is crucial for understanding any analysis conducted using Google Finance data. The historical data leading up to May 2016 reflects Airgas as an independent entity. Post-acquisition, the AIRG ticker no longer represents an independent company; its operations are now integrated within Air Liquide.

Using the Data Today

While AIRG is no longer actively traded, analyzing its historical data on Google Finance can still be valuable:

Industry Analysis: Understand trends and performance benchmarks within the industrial gases distribution market.
Merger & Acquisition Studies: Analyze the valuation and impact of the Air Liquide acquisition on both companies.
Educational Purposes: Use the data as a case study for understanding stock market dynamics and corporate finance principles.

Keep in mind that Google Finance provides a snapshot of Airgas’s past. To gain a complete picture of Air Liquide’s current performance, you need to analyze Air Liquide’s financial data directly.