UBS Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Stock Price

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) had its price objective reduced by equities research analysts at UBS Group from $395.00 to $370.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the basic materials company's stock. UBS Group's target price indicates a potential upside of 26.90% from the company's current price.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on APD. StockNews.com downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $320.00 target price (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $342.65.

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Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:APD traded down $4.06 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $291.56. 1,356,175 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,422,520. Air Products and Chemicals has a 52-week low of $227.53 and a 52-week high of $341.14. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $312.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $308.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market cap of $64.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.93, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued 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 return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction of $181,706.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 719 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $221,811.50. This represents a 45.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,485,176 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $6,231,560,000 after purchasing an additional 207,404 shares during the period. Dodge & Cox lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 6,663,154 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,932,581,000 after purchasing an additional 64,960 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 129.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,429,147 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,574,670,000 after purchasing an additional 3,062,157 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,931,661 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,430,354,000 after purchasing an additional 57,314 shares during the period. Finally, Mantle Ridge LP acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $1,191,344,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.