Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Cut to “Sell” at StockNews.com

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

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on APD. Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup upped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Redburn Atlantic raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets cut Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 5.3 %

Shares of APD stock opened at $310.66 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $69.09 billion, a PE ratio of 18.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals has a 1 year low of $213.80 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $309.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $301.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.34.

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

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.11%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in APD. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted 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 acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% during the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.