Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nineteen research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $331.53.

APD has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $323.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $330.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Barclays raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $345.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 17.2% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,146 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,328,000 after purchasing an additional 755 shares during the period. JB Capital LLC raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter. JB Capital LLC now owns 9,719 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,508,000 after acquiring an additional 407 shares during the last quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. Powers Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,753 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $452,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Avalon Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $447,000. Finally, Bowman & Co S.C. increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 9.3% in the second quarter. Bowman & Co S.C. now owns 5,613 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,449,000 after purchasing an additional 479 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:APD traded down $2.14 during trading on Thursday, reaching $293.17. The stock had a trading volume of 1,041,286 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,583,626. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $319.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $290.77. Air Products and Chemicals has a 1-year low of $212.24 and a 1-year high of $337.00. 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 stock has a market cap of $65.20 billion, a PE ratio of 17.06, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.41%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.