Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the eighteen ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $332.18.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction of $181,706.50. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares in the company, valued at $221,811.50. This trade represents a 45.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Air Products and Chemicals

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TrueMark Investments LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 10.6% during the 1st quarter. TrueMark Investments LLC now owns 15,925 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $4,697,000 after acquiring an additional 1,530 shares during the period. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 3,093 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $912,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Jericho Financial LLP grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Jericho Financial LLP now owns 8,933 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,634,000 after acquiring an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth $256,000. Finally, Avantra Family Wealth Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 47.1% in the 1st quarter. Avantra Family Wealth Inc. now owns 1,171 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $345,000 after buying an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 3.0 %

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $265.44 on Wednesday. Air Products and Chemicals has a twelve month low of $228.81 and a twelve month high of $341.14. The stock has a market cap of $59.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.41, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. The company's 50-day moving average price is $290.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $306.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. As a group, analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

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.

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