Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Updates Q1 Earnings Guidance

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) issued an update on its first quarter earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of $2.86 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.85.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD stock traded up $6.09 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $307.83. The stock had a trading volume of 1,936,584 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,613,613. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $309.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $293.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.46 billion, a PE ratio of 17.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.84. Air Products and Chemicals has a twelve month low of $212.24 and a twelve month high of $337.00.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 41.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on APD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Barclays increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Evercore ISI upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $305.00 to $365.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $330.00 to $350.00 in a report on Tuesday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $332.71.

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.