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

StockNews.com cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report report published on Sunday morning.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on APD. Argus downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. UBS Group downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a buy rating to a neutral rating and reduced their price target for the company from $328.00 to $241.00 in a report on Thursday, February 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $270.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $264.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $276.36.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD stock opened at $229.08 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.58. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $235.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $257.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.81. Air Products and Chemicals has a 12 month low of $212.24 and a 12 month high of $307.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by ($0.18). The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.20 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.84% and a net margin of 18.82%. The firm’s revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.64 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 28th. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.56%.

Institutional Trading of Air Products and Chemicals

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Garner Asset Management Corp bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Sachetta LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Security National Bank bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Institutional investors 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.