Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Receives $330.94 Average Target Price from Analysts

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eighteen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $330.94.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on APD shares. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $355.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 target price for the company. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.9%

Air Products and Chemicals stock traded down $2.57 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $289.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 974,146 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,370,588. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.05, a PEG ratio of 5.60 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $276.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $290.28. Air Products and Chemicals has a 52-week low of $243.69 and a 52-week high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.14). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 12.76% and a return on equity of 15.48%. The company had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.85 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.48%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is presently 104.07%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Citizens National Bank Trust Department lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 833.3% in the 1st quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 112 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

About Air Products and Chemicals

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.