Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Price Target Increased to $360.00 by Analysts at Mizuho

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) had its price objective upped by Mizuho from $308.00 to $360.00 in a research note released on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

APD has been the topic of a number of other reports. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. 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 report on Monday, October 7th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $276.00 to $281.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a hold rating to a buy rating and increased their target price for the stock from $295.00 to $364.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $316.47.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD stock opened at $316.66 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $284.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $265.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.27. Air Products and Chemicals has a one year low of $212.24 and a one year high of $323.86. The firm has a market cap of $70.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.58, a P/E/G ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.82.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.20 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.16. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 16.53%. The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.04 billion. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.33 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.90%.

Institutional Trading of Air Products and Chemicals

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Thompson Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2,250.0% during the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 141 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,700.0% during the second quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 144 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

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.