StockNews.com Downgrades Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) to Sell

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report released on Sunday.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on APD. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $240.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $245.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Bank of America upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $264.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $270.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $276.36.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

APD stock opened at $231.16 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $234.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $258.57. The stock has a market cap of $51.39 billion, a PE ratio of 22.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. Air Products and Chemicals has a 1 year low of $212.24 and a 1 year high of $307.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.84% and a net margin of 18.82%. Air Products and Chemicals’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.64 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Garner Asset Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Sachetta LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Security National Bank bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.