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

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $331.53.

Several equities analysts recently commented on APD shares. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $295.00 to $364.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $308.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. BMO Capital Markets increased 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in APD. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 85.1% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 6,514 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,939,000 after buying an additional 2,995 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 286.7% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 21,299 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,342,000 after acquiring an additional 15,791 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,205.1% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 38,423 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $11,440,000 after purchasing an additional 35,479 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 35.5% during the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 2,930 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $872,000 after purchasing an additional 768 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tudor Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,654,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.5 %

APD stock opened at $333.22 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals has a twelve month low of $212.24 and a twelve month high of $336.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $314.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $285.02.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.12%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.