Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have given Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy", with the average 12-month price target set at $335.07.
• Recent insider activity includes VP Victoria Brifo selling 1,359 shares for approximately $397,344, which decreased her ownership stake by 13.53%.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.79 to be paid on November 10th, reflecting an annualized dividend of $7.16 and a yield of 2.5%.

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the seventeen research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $335.0667.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Argus upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 12th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 30th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total value of $397,344.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 8,686 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,539,612.68. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 24.0% in the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,668 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,035,000 after acquiring an additional 711 shares during the last quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.3% during the 2nd quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 40,085 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $11,306,000 after purchasing an additional 2,385 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 25.9% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 54,398 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $15,363,000 after purchasing an additional 11,175 shares during the period. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 33,450 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $9,435,000 after purchasing an additional 769 shares during the period. Finally, MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,229,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $290.46 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $64.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.79, a PEG ratio of 6.52 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.29. Air Products and Chemicals has a one year low of $243.69 and a one year high of $341.14. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $291.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $283.74.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 12.86%.The company's revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.20 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.900-12.100 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 3.270-3.470 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is 103.02%.

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.

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