Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Wells Fargo & Company Analyst Says

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) had its target price boosted by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $350.00 to $365.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective suggests a potential upside of 17.13% from the stock’s current price.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $323.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $311.61 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.52. The company has a market capitalization of $69.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.85. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $310.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $300.85. Air Products and Chemicals has a 1 year low of $213.80 and a 1 year high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.34% and a net margin of 31.64%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Air Products and Chemicals

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 106.3% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,494 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,914,000 after buying an additional 6,952 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted 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 worth $111,488,000 after acquiring an additional 139,223 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $7,269,000. Forsta AP Fonden increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 13.4% in the third quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 45,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $13,607,000 after purchasing an additional 5,400 shares during the period. Finally, Diversify Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 88.2% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,074,000 after purchasing an additional 4,916 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Company Profile

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.