Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Monday.

APD has been the topic of several other reports. TheStreet lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a b rating to a c+ rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, March 1st. They set an outperform rating and a $279.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $250.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $270.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded 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 note on Thursday, February 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $276.36.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $234.72 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. Air Products and Chemicals has a 1 year low of $212.24 and a 1 year high of $307.71. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $236.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $256.31. The firm has a market cap of $52.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.00 by ($0.18). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.84% and a net margin of 18.82%. The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.64 earnings per share. Air Products and Chemicals’s revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Sachetta LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Security National Bank acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

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.