Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Upgraded by Berenberg Bank to “Strong-Buy” Rating

Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $282.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $270.00 to $325.00 in a research note on Friday, March 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $306.50.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $296.09 on Monday. Air Products and Chemicals has a 1-year low of $229.11 and a 1-year high of $301.25. The business has a 50-day moving average of $286.11 and a 200-day moving average of $267.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The company has a market capitalization of $65.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -196.09, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.80.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its earnings results 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. Air Products and Chemicals had a positive return on equity of 15.77% and a negative net margin of 2.73%.The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.86 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals will post 13.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 1,616 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $399,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. StoneX Group Inc. boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. StoneX Group Inc. now owns 2,787 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $688,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 642 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $159,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 756 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $187,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Journey Strategic Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC now owns 1,085 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $296,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during 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.