Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Raised to Overweight at Wells Fargo & Company

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report issued on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a $325.00 price target on the basic materials company’s stock, up from their previous price target of $270.00. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 12.93% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Argus lowered their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $317.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $255.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $299.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD opened at $287.79 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $64.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -190.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 1.23. Air Products and Chemicals has a 1-year low of $229.11 and a 1-year high of $301.11. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $273.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $266.01.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.05 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Ridge Lp Mantle sold 70,175 shares of Air Products and Chemicals 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 transaction, the director owned 93,499 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,573,350.79. This trade represents a 42.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Air Products and Chemicals

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 10.4% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 57,639 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $16,258,000 after buying an additional 5,430 shares during the period. Platform Technology Partners boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 683.0% during the 3rd quarter. Platform Technology Partners now owns 7,164 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,954,000 after acquiring an additional 6,249 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 673,400 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $189,939,000 after acquiring an additional 46,200 shares in the last quarter. Rockland Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 52,590 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $14,342,000 after purchasing an additional 2,741 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $215,356,000 after purchasing an additional 111,317 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.