Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Receives $287.29 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the sixteen research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $287.29.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on APD. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $240.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $275.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Barclays raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $270.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 1st.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD opened at $247.18 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $259.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $251.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.95 billion, a PE ratio of 22.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Air Products and Chemicals has a 12-month low of $212.24 and a 12-month high of $307.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $2.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.70 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 20.32% and a return on equity of 16.56%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.74 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.3 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 12th. Investors of record on Monday, July 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 1st. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.90%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Sachetta LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Security National Bank acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. 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.