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

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $339.94.

APD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $616,896.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,749 shares of company stock worth $3,030,032 in the last ninety days. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 106.3% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,494 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,914,000 after purchasing an additional 6,952 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 374,442 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $111,488,000 after purchasing an additional 139,223 shares during the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $7,269,000. Forsta AP Fonden grew 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 worth $13,607,000 after acquiring an additional 5,400 shares during the period. Finally, Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 88.2% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,074,000 after acquiring an additional 4,916 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $309.50 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals has a 52 week low of $216.30 and a 52 week high of $341.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $309.32 and its 200 day moving average is $302.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.97, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.11%.

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.