Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Receives $276.36 Consensus PT from Analysts

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the fifteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $276.36.

APD has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $240.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $270.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $229.08 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $50.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.58. Air Products and Chemicals has a 1 year low of $212.24 and a 1 year high of $307.71. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $235.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $257.98.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.00 by ($0.18). The company had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.20 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 18.82% and a return on equity of 16.84%. Air Products and Chemicals’s quarterly revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.64 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.09%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.56%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Trilogy Capital Inc. acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $2,625,000. Founders Financial Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 140.6% in the first quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 2,505 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $607,000 after acquiring an additional 1,464 shares during the period. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 19.7% in the first quarter. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. now owns 2,268 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $549,000 after acquiring an additional 373 shares during the period. Vicus Capital acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter worth $321,000. Finally, Romano Brothers AND Company increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 133.0% in the first quarter. Romano Brothers AND Company now owns 14,609 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,539,000 after acquiring an additional 8,340 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Company Profile

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc provides atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, equipment, and related services in the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, India, and internationally. The company produces atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, and argon; process gases, such as hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and syngas; and specialty gases for customers in various industries, including refining, chemical, manufacturing, electronics, energy production, medical, food, and metals.