Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Raises Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 343.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,030 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,644 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $4,359,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Parvin Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $715,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 worth $3,914,000 after purchasing an additional 6,952 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% during 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 buying an additional 139,223 shares during the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $7,269,000. Finally, Diversify Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 88.2% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total transaction of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,680 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. The trade was a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total value of $410,644.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at $1,008,604.84. The trade was a 28.93 % 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 worth $4,842,604 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $330.38.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE APD traded down $3.15 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $264.47. 1,379,198 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,482,587. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.69 and a 52-week high of $341.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The company has a 50-day moving average of $280.83 and a 200-day moving average of $302.51.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted 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). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. The business had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.85 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals's quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals 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.