Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $331.53.

Several equities analysts recently commented on APD shares. UBS Group upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, November 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $291.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $308.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th.

Institutional Investors 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 stock. Anchor Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 35.5% during the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 2,930 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $872,000 after acquiring an additional 768 shares during the last quarter. Tudor Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth $1,654,000. Chelsea Counsel Co. grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Chelsea Counsel Co. now owns 3,377 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,005,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 26,634 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $7,930,000 after buying an additional 571 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 39.9% during the 3rd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 3,973 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,183,000 after buying an additional 1,134 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD opened at $331.83 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $310.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $282.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.77 billion, a PE ratio of 19.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.81. Air Products and Chemicals has a 12-month low of $212.24 and a 12-month high of $332.69.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.13%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently 41.21%.

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.