Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Reaches New 1-Year High - What's Next?

Key Points

• Air Products reached a new 52-week high of $301.35 (last at $300.63) and carries an average analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $308.06 after multiple upgrades and raised targets.
• The company beat quarterly estimates with EPS of $3.16 (vs. $3.04 expected) and revenue of $3.10B, and provided guidance of $2.95–3.10 for Q2 2026 and $12.85–13.15 for FY2026 (consensus ~13.03).
• Air Products raised its quarterly dividend to $1.81 (annualized $7.24) for a ~2.4% yield, with an ex-dividend date of April 1 and payment on May 11.

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $301.35 and last traded at $300.6340, with a volume of 57073 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $296.76.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on APD shares. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $315.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $313.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $308.06.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 1.7%

The firm has a market cap of $67.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -199.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.80. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $286.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $267.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.46.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.16 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a negative net margin of 2.73% and a positive return on equity of 15.77%. Air Products and Chemicals's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.86 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.100 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 12.850-13.150 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.03 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.81 per share. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -479.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, Director Ridge Lp Mantle sold 70,175 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.21, for a total transaction of $19,944,436.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 93,499 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,573,350.79. The trade was a 42.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.88% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,304,678 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $5,509,702,000 after acquiring an additional 303,944 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 44.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,792,580 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,160,023,000 after buying an additional 3,922,567 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 11,904,537 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,940,665,000 after buying an additional 137,595 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,911,504 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,448,340,000 after buying an additional 352,012 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dodge & Cox boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 9,236,610 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,281,627,000 after buying an additional 231,718 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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