Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $271.35, but opened at $295.95. Air Products and Chemicals shares last traded at $296.3750, with a volume of 397,015 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APD has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $360.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 target price on Air Products and Chemicals and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The business’s fifty day moving average is $289.15 and its 200 day moving average is $278.34. The company has a market cap of $66.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.40, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.74.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.06 by $0.14. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 16.11%. The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.69 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.23 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 76.61%.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals 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 shares were sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total transaction of $824,404.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares in the company, valued at $4,317,037.12. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Western Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 198.6% during the first quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,837 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,115,000 after purchasing an additional 2,552 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 7.9% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 6,580 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,912,000 after purchasing an additional 481 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 26.7% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 57,052 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $16,573,000 after buying an additional 12,020 shares during the period. First Nebraska Trust Co purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter worth approximately $3,917,000. Finally, Summitry LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,562,000. 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.