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

Key Points

• Air Products and Chemicals received a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from 17 covering brokerages, with an average 12-month price target of about $325.82.
• The company’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, posting $3.20 EPS on $3.17 billion in revenue, both above consensus estimates, while revenue rose 8.8% year over year.
• Air Products also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 2.4%, while CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer recently sold 2,714 shares.

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the seventeen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $325.8235.

APD has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings raised Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $342.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, July 10th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $360.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total transaction of $824,404.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.88% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 3,233.3% in the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 100 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE:APD opened at $297.56 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $66.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.49, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. Air Products and Chemicals has a 12 month low of $229.11 and a 12 month high of $314.87. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $289.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $283.67.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 16.91%.The firm's revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.69 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.250 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.250-3.350 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $1.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is currently 76.61%.

About Air Products and Chemicals

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc is a global supplier of industrial gases and related equipment and services, headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The company produces and delivers atmospheric gases such as oxygen, nitrogen and argon, as well as specialty and process gases used across a wide range of industrial applications. Air Products designs, builds and operates gas production facilities, merchant distribution networks and on-site gas systems for customers that require reliable, high-purity gases and integrated supply solutions.

The company's product and service portfolio includes packaged and bulk gas supply, pipeline distribution, on-site generation, gas handling and storage equipment, and engineered systems for gas liquefaction and purification.

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