Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Sell”

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note released on Friday morning.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $310.66 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market cap of $69.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals has a 1-year low of $213.80 and a 1-year high of $341.14. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $310.30 and a 200-day moving average of $300.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.76 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.21%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% during the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Company Profile

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.