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

Capital Analysts LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 36,905 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,558 shares during the period. Capital Analysts LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $10,704,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 106.3% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,494 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,914,000 after purchasing an additional 6,952 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 374,442 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $111,488,000 after acquiring an additional 139,223 shares in the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $7,269,000. 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 during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,205.1% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 38,423 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $11,440,000 after purchasing an additional 35,479 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research 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 raised Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays cut their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $355.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $332.18.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD traded down $0.20 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $270.90. 1,913,959 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,479,028. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $285.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $304.42. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $233.52 and a 52-week high of $341.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a market cap of $60.27 billion, a PE ratio of 15.71, 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 issued its quarterly earnings data 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 analysts' expectations of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. The business's quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.85 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total value of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,282,177.60. This trade represents a 23.24 % 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 hyperlink. Also, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total value of $410,644.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,008,604.84. This represents a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

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.