Benjamin Edwards Inc. Acquires 1,078 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 93,080 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,078 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $27,002,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of APD. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% during the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of APD traded down $3.15 on Wednesday, hitting $264.47. 1,379,198 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,482,587. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $243.69 and a one year high of $341.14. The company has a market capitalization of $58.84 billion, a PE ratio of 15.36, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $281.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $302.78. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.14). The business had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.85 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated 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. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given 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 company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $330.38.

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.