Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Lowered 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 released on Sunday morning.

APD has been the topic of several other reports. Argus lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $305.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Bank of America raised Air Products and Chemicals from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $264.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $304.00 to $295.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $276.36.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $231.53 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $234.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $258.96. Air Products and Chemicals has a 12-month low of $212.24 and a 12-month high of $307.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market cap of $51.47 billion, a PE ratio of 22.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.64 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Investors of record on Monday, April 1st will be issued a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.06%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.56%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

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