Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Stock

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised its price target on Air Products from $290 to $310 but kept an "equal weight" rating; the analyst consensus target is about $323 with several brokers setting significantly higher targets (up to $360), indicating broadly bullish analyst sentiment.
• Air Products beat Q1 estimates with EPS of $3.20 (vs. $3.06 expected) and revenue of $3.17B, and issued FY2026 guidance of $13.00–$13.25 EPS (analysts project ~13.11), supporting its growth outlook.
• Significant insider selling occurred recently—a director sold 70,175 shares (~$19.9M) and the CFO sold 2,714 shares—leaving insiders with 1.88% ownership while institutions hold about 81.66% of the stock.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $290.00 to $310.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "equal weight" rating on the basic materials company's stock. Morgan Stanley's price target would indicate a potential upside of 2.81% from the company's previous close.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on APD. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 price target on Air Products and Chemicals and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Monday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $360.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $323.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

NYSE APD traded up $3.18 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $301.53. 176,014 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,388,169. Air Products and Chemicals has a 1-year low of $229.11 and a 1-year high of $307.29. The company has a market cap of $67.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.77. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $288.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $269.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.43.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.06 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.07 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 16.91%.Air Products and Chemicals's quarterly revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $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. As a group, analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals will post 13.11 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, Director Ridge Lp Mantle sold 70,175 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total transaction of $824,404.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,317,037.12. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.88% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 11.3% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 20,136 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $5,849,000 after buying an additional 2,041 shares in the last quarter. Meridian Management Co. bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth $3,190,000. Members Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth $200,000. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 18.2% in the 1st quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 1,998 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $580,000 after acquiring an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 11,323 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,289,000 after acquiring an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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