Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the seventeen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have given a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a 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 $297.40.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Mizuho decreased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $286.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $276.00 to $281.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in APD. Capital Research Global Investors grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 62.3% during the first quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 11,230,051 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,720,704,000 after buying an additional 4,309,040 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $852,288,000. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 3,062,859 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $790,371,000 after purchasing an additional 122,676 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 127.3% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,792,470 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $720,597,000 after purchasing an additional 1,564,169 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James & Associates boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 8.7% during the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 2,099,419 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $508,626,000 after purchasing an additional 167,800 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.4 %

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $274.43 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals has a 1-year low of $212.24 and a 1-year high of $307.71. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $266.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $251.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.77, a PEG ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be given a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.58%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.90%.

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.