Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Research Coverage Started at StockNews.com

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD – Get Rating) in a research note published on Thursday morning. The firm issued a buy rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on APD. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $394.00 to $386.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 3rd. Vertical Research upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Monday, March 13th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $292.00 to $340.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, February 3rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $312.75.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD opened at $274.74 on Thursday. Air Products and Chemicals has a 1 year low of $218.88 and a 1 year high of $328.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.01 billion, a PE ratio of 26.96, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 1.93. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $294.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $281.55.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The basic materials company reported $2.64 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.73 by ($0.09). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.45% and a net margin of 17.61%. The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.52 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals will post 11.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 8th. Investors of record on Monday, April 3rd will be paid a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 31st. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.55%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 63.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Sean D. Major sold 485 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $313.00, for a total transaction of $151,805.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,468,075. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Delta Asset Management LLC TN purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Align Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Western Pacific Wealth Management LP acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth about $31,000. 82.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Company Profile

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Air Products & Chemicals, Inc engages in the manufacture and distribution of atmospheric gases. It operates through the following segments: Industrial Gases-Americas, Industrial Gases-EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), Industrial Gases-Asia, Industrial Gases-Global, and Corporate & Other. The Industrial Gases-America, EMEA, and Asia segment markets and produces atmospheric gases, such as oxygen, nitrogen, argon, and rare gases, process gases, such as hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, syngas, and specialty gases and equipment for the production and processing of gases, such as air separation units and non-cryogenic generators.