4,515 Shares in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Bought by Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 4,515 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,310,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Anchor Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 35.5% in the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 2,930 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $872,000 after purchasing an additional 768 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 286.7% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 21,299 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $6,342,000 after acquiring an additional 15,791 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 85.1% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 6,514 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,939,000 after acquiring an additional 2,995 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 770,529 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $229,418,000 after purchasing an additional 14,067 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 28.4% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 746 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $216,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on APD. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $330.38.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 1.3 %

NYSE APD traded down $3.54 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $268.67. The stock had a trading volume of 629,651 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,477,210. The company has a market capitalization of $59.77 billion, a PE ratio of 15.60, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.69 and a 12 month high of $341.14. The company's 50-day moving average price is $282.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $303.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.14). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. The company had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.85 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total value of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,282,177.60. This represents a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares in the company, valued at $221,811.50. The trade was a 45.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 in the last three months. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.