Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Stock Rating Upgraded by Argus

Key Points

• Air Products and Chemicals has been upgraded from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating by Argus, signaling increased investor confidence in the stock.
• UBS Group and Wells Fargo both raised their price targets for the stock, with UBS setting it at $344.00 and Wells Fargo at $345.00.
• The company reported $3.09 earnings per share in its latest quarterly results, surpassing the consensus estimate of $2.99, and has set a fiscal year 2025 earnings guidance of $11.90-$12.10 EPS.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Argus from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on APD. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada started 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 target for the company. Citigroup boosted their price target 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $335.07.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 2.4%

Shares of APD stock opened at $294.49 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals has a 12-month low of $243.69 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The company has a market capitalization of $65.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.37, a P/E/G ratio of 6.41 and a beta of 0.82. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $291.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $284.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.20 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total transaction of $397,344.42. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 8,686 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,539,612.68. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 14.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $945,000 after purchasing an additional 412 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $245,000. Gotham Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 12.0% during the 4th quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 1,091 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $316,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 38.6% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 718,108 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $208,280,000 after purchasing an additional 200,129 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NorthRock Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 110.5% during the 4th quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 2,993 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $868,000 after purchasing an additional 1,571 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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