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

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $326.8824.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on APD shares. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $342.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $360.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of Air Products and Chemicals 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 transaction, 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. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

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 stock. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.9% in the second quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 5,975 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,752,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co. lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 230.1% in the second quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 6,395 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,875,000 after acquiring an additional 4,458 shares during the last quarter. GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC now owns 2,599 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $762,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Liberty Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $310,000. Finally, Vaquero Private Wealth Ltd. acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 2nd quarter worth about $146,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE APD opened at $294.41 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $289.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $285.36. Air Products and Chemicals has a 1-year low of $229.11 and a 1-year high of $314.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.56 billion, a PE ratio of 31.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.21.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.14. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 16.11%. The business had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.69 earnings per share. Air Products and Chemicals’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. On average, research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals will post 13.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be issued a $1.81 dividend. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.61%.

Air Products and Chemicals Company Profile

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.