Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Stock Rating Upgraded by BNP Paribas

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) was upgraded by equities research analysts at BNP Paribas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on APD. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 target price (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to 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 opened at $310.35 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $308.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $302.65. Air Products and Chemicals has a 1-year low of $216.30 and a 1-year high of $341.14. The firm has a market cap of $69.02 billion, a PE ratio of 18.02, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. Research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total value of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,282,177.60. The trade was a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,749 shares of company stock valued at $3,030,032. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 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.