Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the fifteen brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $277.43.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Mizuho cut their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $286.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $279.00 price target for the company. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 167.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,921,011 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,894,973,000 after buying an additional 4,330,471 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $852,288,000. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,696.4% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 518,197 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $142,344,000 after buying an additional 489,350 shares during the last quarter. Scharf Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth approximately $87,173,000. Finally, Morningstar Investment Services LLC raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 96.4% in the fourth quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 684,057 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $187,589,000 after acquiring an additional 335,717 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD opened at $248.65 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.28 billion, a PE ratio of 22.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.80. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $238.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $253.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.49 and a quick ratio of 1.31. Air Products and Chemicals has a 12 month low of $212.24 and a 12 month high of $307.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $2.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.70 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 20.32%. Air Products and Chemicals’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.74 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.