Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Reaches New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday. The company traded as high as $324.00 and last traded at $313.3330, with a volume of 170,651 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $318.87.

More Air Products and Chemicals News

Here are the key news stories impacting Air Products and Chemicals this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal Q4 revenue rose 12.3% year over year to $3.56 billion, topping the $3.33 billion analyst estimate. Adjusted EPS was $3.61, up from $3.39 a year earlier and above management’s guidance midpoint. Air Products fiscal 2026 results and guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Management forecast fiscal 2027 adjusted EPS of $14.15–$14.50, implying growth from fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS of $13.45. The company also reported more than $2 billion in new electronics business wins and lower fiscal 2026 capital spending than the prior year. Fiscal Q4 results and fiscal 2027 guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Adjusted EPS was broadly in line with estimates, limiting the earnings surprise despite the revenue beat. Q4 earnings and revenue estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Reported GAAP results were substantially affected by project-exit charges, primarily tied to two China coal-gasification plants. Fiscal Q4 GAAP EPS was $2.62, versus adjusted EPS of $3.61, highlighting ongoing project-related uncertainty. Air Products fiscal 2026 results and guidance

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on APD shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $320.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $360.00 to $346.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $336.00 to $305.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Mizuho raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $330.00 to $312.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $333.88.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $294.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $290.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The company has a market capitalization of $71.02 billion, a P/E ratio of -1,435.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.67.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The basic materials company reported $3.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $3.61. The company had revenue of $3.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.33 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a positive return on equity of 16.87% and a negative net margin of 0.38%. The firm’s revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.39 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, January 4th will be given a $1.81 dividend. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 4th. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently -3,290.91%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 277.4% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 38,161,451 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,597,451,000 after purchasing an additional 28,050,956 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 2nd quarter worth $5,370,093,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,216,976,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 326.7% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,348,573 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $927,010,000 after purchasing an additional 2,563,873 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the second quarter valued at about $495,201,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Air Products and Chemicals

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc is a global industrial gas and related equipment company serving customers in industries such as refining, chemicals, manufacturing, metals, electronics, food and beverage, healthcare, and energy. The company supplies atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen and argon, as well as hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, specialty gases and other industrial gases.

Air Products produces and distributes gases through pipelines, on-site facilities, bulk deliveries and packaged-gas systems.