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

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the nineteen research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $331.53.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on APD. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $323.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Evercore ISI raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $305.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 3.1 %

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $295.31 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $319.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $290.76. Air Products and Chemicals has a fifty-two week low of $212.24 and a fifty-two week high of $337.00. The firm has a market cap of $65.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.40%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.21%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Forsta AP Fonden raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 13.4% during the 3rd quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 45,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $13,607,000 after purchasing an additional 5,400 shares in the last quarter. Jensen Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 65.0% during the third quarter. Jensen Investment Management Inc. now owns 13,170 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,921,000 after buying an additional 5,190 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,205.1% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 38,423 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $11,440,000 after buying an additional 35,479 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.9% in the third quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 44,661 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $13,297,000 after buying an additional 1,662 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Woodstock Corp boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 38,976 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $11,605,000 after acquiring an additional 2,387 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

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.