Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Upgraded by BNP Paribas to “Strong-Buy” Rating

BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on APD. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. 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. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 1.6 %

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $315.30 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $70.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.31, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Air Products and Chemicals has a 12 month low of $216.30 and a 12 month high of $341.14. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $308.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $302.65.

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

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 yield of 2.27%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,749 shares of company stock worth $3,030,032 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. 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. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. 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.