Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on APD. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $240.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $250.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $245.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $276.36.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $235.05 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market cap of $52.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.43, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $236.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $256.16. Air Products and Chemicals has a 12 month low of $212.24 and a 12 month high of $307.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.00 by ($0.18). The company had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.64 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of APD. Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter worth $376,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $1,177,000. Bellwether Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter worth $501,000. Zenyatta Capital Management LP raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 46.7% in the fourth quarter. Zenyatta Capital Management LP now owns 22,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,024,000 after acquiring an additional 7,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 37.6% in the fourth quarter. Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY now owns 388,474 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $106,364,000 after buying an additional 106,054 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.