Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation, eleven have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $332.41.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on APD shares. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 target price on the stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $275.32 on Thursday. 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 stock has a market cap of $61.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.02, a PEG ratio of 5.32 and a beta of 0.86. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $272.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $293.27. Air Products and Chemicals has a 52 week low of $243.69 and a 52 week high of $341.14.

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

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 104.07%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,742 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $505,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,028 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $588,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% during the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 974 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $282,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baker Avenue Asset Management LP raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 1,540 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $447,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in 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 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.