Akzo Nobel (OTCMKTS:AKZOY) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Shares of Akzo Nobel NV (OTCMKTS:AKZOY) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $22.32, but opened at $23.44. Akzo Nobel shares last traded at $23.43, with a volume of 8,800 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on AKZOY shares. Berenberg Bank raised Akzo Nobel to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered shares of Akzo Nobel from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Zacks Research cut shares of Akzo Nobel from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Akzo Nobel to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Akzo Nobel Price Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $22.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $22.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The stock has a market cap of $11.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.33, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.08.

Akzo Nobel (OTCMKTS:AKZOY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The basic materials company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $2.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.51 billion. Akzo Nobel had a net margin of 6.49% and a return on equity of 14.05%. Analysts forecast that Akzo Nobel NV will post 1.52 earnings per share for the current year.

About Akzo Nobel

Akzo Nobel N.V. is a Dutch multinational company specializing in paints, coatings and specialty chemicals. Established through the 1994 merger of Akzo and Nobel Industries, the company traces its roots back to chemical and saltpeter production in the Netherlands. Today, Akzo Nobel is recognized as one of the world’s leading coatings manufacturers, serving both decorative and industrial markets.

The company’s business is organized into three principal segments: Decorative Paints, Performance Coatings and Specialty Chemicals.