Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) Given New $355.00 Price Target at Barclays

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) had its price target dropped by equities researchers at Barclays from $365.00 to $355.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Barclays‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 22.53% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on APD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 target price (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a 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 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup decreased their target price on 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $340.88.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.2 %

APD traded down $3.41 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $289.73. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 67,256 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,478,802. Air Products and Chemicals has a twelve month low of $227.53 and a twelve month high of $341.14. The stock has a market cap of $64.46 billion, a PE ratio of 16.82, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $311.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $309.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released 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, analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 719 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $221,811.50. The trade was a 45.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Air Products and Chemicals

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 106.3% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,494 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,914,000 after buying an additional 6,952 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 374,442 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $111,488,000 after acquiring an additional 139,223 shares during the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $7,269,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 88.2% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,074,000 after purchasing an additional 4,916 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,205.1% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 38,423 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $11,440,000 after purchasing an additional 35,479 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently 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.