Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Stock Rating Lowered by Bank of America

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) was downgraded by investment analysts at Bank of America from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Finviz reports. They presently have a $282.00 target price on the basic materials company’s stock. Bank of America‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 5.24% from the stock’s current price.

APD has been the topic of several other reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $334.24.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.7 %

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $267.95 on Tuesday. Air Products and Chemicals has a 1 year low of $227.53 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $296.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $307.49. The firm has a market cap of $59.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 EPS 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $616,896.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,173,204. This trade represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% in the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. 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.