Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Reaches New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $301.35 and last traded at $300.6340, with a volume of 57073 shares. The stock had previously closed at $296.76.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on APD shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Bank of America boosted 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 report on Tuesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $282.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $308.06.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $286.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $267.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -199.70, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.05 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a negative net margin of 2.73% and a positive return on equity of 15.77%. Air Products and Chemicals’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.86 earnings per share. Air Products and Chemicals has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.100 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 12.850-13.150 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be given a $1.81 dividend. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -479.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, Director Ridge Lp Mantle sold 70,175 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.21, for a total value of $19,944,436.75. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 93,499 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,573,350.79. This represents a 42.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,304,678 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,509,702,000 after purchasing an additional 303,944 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 44.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,792,580 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,160,023,000 after purchasing an additional 3,922,567 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 11,904,537 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,940,665,000 after buying an additional 137,595 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,911,504 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,448,340,000 after buying an additional 352,012 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dodge & Cox boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 9,236,610 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,281,627,000 after buying an additional 231,718 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Air Products and Chemicals

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.