Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Stake Increased by Nomura Holdings Inc.

Nomura Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 51.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 758,777 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 258,437 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals makes up 0.3% of Nomura Holdings Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Nomura Holdings Inc. owned about 0.34% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $220,076,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of APD. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $715,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 106.3% during 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. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $7,269,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 4,916 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 44.2% during the fourth quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 4,804 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,393,000 after buying an additional 1,473 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD stock opened at $273.58 on Wednesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.69 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. 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 fifty day moving average of $277.87 and a 200-day moving average of $300.87.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 2,362 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.82, for a total transaction of $745,966.84. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,172,411.90. The trade was a 19.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through 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 transaction of $181,706.50. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares in the company, valued at $221,811.50. This trade represents a 45.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,751 shares of company stock valued at $1,812,572. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays lowered their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $320.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $330.38.

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.

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