BNP Paribas Upgrades Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) to “Strong-Buy”

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) was upgraded by BNP Paribas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group raised their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of APD opened at $310.35 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $308.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $302.65. Air Products and Chemicals has a one year low of $216.30 and a one year high of $341.14. The company has a market capitalization of $69.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.02, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.34.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,502,560.58. This 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 9,749 shares of company stock valued at $3,030,032. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.