Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Downgraded by StockNews.com

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report issued on Sunday.

APD has been the subject of a number of other reports. TheStreet downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Mizuho decreased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $304.00 to $295.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Argus downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $276.36.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 2.0 %

APD stock opened at $231.53 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $234.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $259.15. The company has a market cap of $51.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.81. Air Products and Chemicals has a fifty-two week low of $212.24 and a fifty-two week high of $307.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.81.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by ($0.18). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 18.82% and a return on equity of 16.84%. The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.64 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast 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

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dover Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dover Advisors LLC now owns 1,894 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $540,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.4% during the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 1,566 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $444,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 25.9% during the fourth quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 180 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Vestcor Inc increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 5,261 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,622,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Columbia Trust Co 01012016 raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Columbia Trust Co 01012016 now owns 5,502 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,559,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.