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

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $310.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Bank of America increased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $275.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $291.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $297.40.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

NYSE:APD traded down $4.84 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $268.71. 1,066,145 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,647,773. The business has a 50 day moving average of $268.38 and a 200 day moving average of $255.98. Air Products and Chemicals has a 1-year low of $212.24 and a 1-year high of $307.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The company has a market capitalization of $59.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.16. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 16.53%. The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.04 billion. Research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.32 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Air Products and Chemicals

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of APD. Sachetta LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Security National Bank purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Thompson Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

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.