NorthRock Partners LLC Acquires 1,571 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

NorthRock Partners LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 110.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,993 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,571 shares during the period. NorthRock Partners LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $868,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wedmont Private Capital grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 12.7% in the fourth quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 1,694 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $497,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 46.5% in the 4th quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 2,213 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $642,000 after acquiring an additional 702 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $637,000. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,113 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,483,000 after acquiring an additional 473 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,975 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,733,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $330.00 to $282.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $330.38.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $221,811.50. This represents a 45.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total value of $474,255.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $462,240.54. This trade represents a 50.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.6%

NYSE:APD traded down $1.54 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $275.79. 642,847 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,457,527. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $275.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $299.73. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.69 and a twelve month high of $341.14. The firm has a market cap of $61.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.02, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.83 by ($0.14). The company had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. The company's revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.85 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.