Ames National Corp Invests $373,000 in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Ames National Corp bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 1,285 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $373,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,742 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $505,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,028 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $588,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $888,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 974 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

APD stock opened at $275.79 on Wednesday. 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 stock's 50 day moving average price is $275.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $299.56. The firm has a market cap of $61.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.02, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.69 and a 1 year high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 earnings per share (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 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 firm's quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.85 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total transaction of $474,255.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $462,240.54. The trade was a 50.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares of the company's stock, 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. Insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on APD shares. 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 research report on Friday, May 2nd. StockNews.com cut Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of 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. Bank of America downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on 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. Two investment 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 MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.

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