Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Reaches New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $309.35 and last traded at $308.1220, with a volume of 58587 shares. The stock had previously closed at $306.40.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Mizuho set a $345.00 price objective on Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Monday, May 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $324.82.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.9%

The stock has a market capitalization of $68.81 billion, a PE ratio of 32.70, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.73. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $289.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $279.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.06 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.07 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 16.11%. Air Products and Chemicals’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.69 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.250 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.250-3.350 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be paid a $1.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is 76.19%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total transaction of $824,404.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 14,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rockland Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 56,909 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $14,058,000 after buying an additional 4,319 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 486,719 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $121,909,000 after buying an additional 23,760 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 16.4% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 789,659 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $215,356,000 after acquiring an additional 111,317 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 57,474 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $14,197,000 after acquiring an additional 5,909 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 2,299,299 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $627,065,000 after acquiring an additional 21,479 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Company Profile

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc is a global supplier of industrial gases and related equipment and services, headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The company produces and delivers atmospheric gases such as oxygen, nitrogen and argon, as well as specialty and process gases used across a wide range of industrial applications. Air Products designs, builds and operates gas production facilities, merchant distribution networks and on-site gas systems for customers that require reliable, high-purity gases and integrated supply solutions.

The company’s product and service portfolio includes packaged and bulk gas supply, pipeline distribution, on-site generation, gas handling and storage equipment, and engineered systems for gas liquefaction and purification.