Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Receives $331.53 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $332.71.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Vertical Research raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $336.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, October 7th. UBS Group raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, November 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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 report on Friday, November 8th. Citigroup increased 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $295.00 to $364.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of APD. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,874,347 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,448,570,000 after acquiring an additional 88,806 shares during the period. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 122,676 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 29,954.1% in the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 2,894,211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $861,722,000 after acquiring an additional 2,884,581 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 127.3% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,792,470 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $720,597,000 after acquiring an additional 1,564,169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.7% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 2,043,099 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $608,312,000 after acquiring an additional 33,313 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD opened at $317.11 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $309.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $294.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.46, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.84. Air Products and Chemicals has a twelve month low of $212.24 and a twelve month high of $337.00.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 41.21%.

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.