UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Stock Price

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) had its price objective boosted by UBS Group from $375.00 to $385.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on 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 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $330.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $295.00 to $364.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Vertical Research upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $336.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $338.47.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.1 %

APD opened at $327.02 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Air Products and Chemicals has a 1-year low of $212.24 and a 1-year high of $337.00. The business has a 50 day moving average of $310.11 and a 200-day moving average of $297.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.84.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 41.21%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 29,954.1% during 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 purchasing an additional 2,884,581 shares during the last quarter. ING Groep NV lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 240.7% during the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,023,433 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $304,717,000 after buying an additional 723,019 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 318.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 948,723 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $282,473,000 after buying an additional 722,132 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,685.4% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 764,489 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $249,698,000 after buying an additional 721,671 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 29,957.6% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 718,075 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,138,000,000 after acquiring an additional 715,686 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

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.