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

Key Points

• Analysts have assigned Air Products and Chemicals a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”, with one sell rating, four hold ratings, ten buy ratings, and one strong buy rating.
• The average twelve-month price target from brokerages for Air Products and Chemicals is approximately $335.07, with recent price targets raised by firms such as Wells Fargo to $345.00.
• The company reported quarterly earnings of $3.09 per share, surpassing the consensus estimate and has announced a quarterly dividend of $1.79 per share, scheduled for payment on November 10th.

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

Several brokerages have weighed in on APD. Mizuho raised their price target 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Citigroup boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 30th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $355.00 target price on the stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.4%

APD stock traded down $1.06 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $293.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 152,790 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,274,437. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.30, a PEG ratio of 6.57 and a beta of 0.81. 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 1 year low of $243.69 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $290.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $286.24.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.10. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 12.86% and a return on equity of 15.11%. The firm had revenue of $3.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.20 EPS. The company's revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, equities research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is presently 103.02%.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $397,344.42. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 8,686 shares in the company, valued at $2,539,612.68. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Mantle Ridge LP purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,191,344,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,020,081,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 129.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,429,147 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,574,670,000 after buying an additional 3,062,157 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $607,601,000. Finally, Dodge & Cox raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 31.5% during the first quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 8,759,722 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,583,417,000 after purchasing an additional 2,096,568 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.