Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Rating Lowered to Sell at StockNews.com

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on APD. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:APD traded down $17.47 on Friday, reaching $310.66. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,902,822 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,892,408. Air Products and Chemicals has a 52-week low of $213.80 and a 52-week high of $341.14. The company has a market cap of $69.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.08, a PEG ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $310.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $300.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.52.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.34% and a net margin of 31.64%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $885,371,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 29,954.1% during the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 2,894,211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $861,722,000 after acquiring an additional 2,884,581 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 240.7% during the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,023,433 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $304,717,000 after acquiring an additional 723,019 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 318.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 948,723 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $282,473,000 after acquiring an additional 722,132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,685.4% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 764,489 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $249,698,000 after acquiring an additional 721,671 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

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.