Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Stock Price Expected to Rise, UBS Group Analyst Says

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Free Report) had its price objective boosted by UBS Group from $328.00 to $344.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the basic materials company's stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 target price for the company. Bank of America cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $355.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:APD traded down $1.98 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $292.13. The stock had a trading volume of 1,042,263 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,360,700. Air Products and Chemicals has a one year low of $243.69 and a one year high of $341.14. The company has a market capitalization of $65.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.46, a PEG ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $278.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $290.26.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.14). The company had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.48% and a net margin of 12.76%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.85 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.45%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is currently 104.07%.

Institutional Trading of Air Products and Chemicals

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