Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Has $64.60 Million Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. trimmed its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 2.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 222,740 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 4,800 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned approximately 0.10% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $64,604,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,742 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $505,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,028 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $588,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% during the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $888,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 974 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $282,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of APD stock traded up $0.99 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $270.44. The company's stock had a trading volume of 483,758 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,479,095. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $286.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $304.88. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $228.81 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.17 billion, a PE ratio of 15.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89.

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 (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, research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $221,811.50. The trade was a 45.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $320.00 target price (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Bank of America downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.18.

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.