Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor INC. Has $1.33 Million Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor INC. lessened its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 52.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,596 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 5,125 shares during the period. Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor INC.'s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,333,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. 49 Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 22.0% in the fourth quarter. 49 Wealth Management LLC now owns 825 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $239,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 2,284 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $662,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Ames National Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $373,000. Lantern Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Lantern Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,276 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $370,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 15.7% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,204,845 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $349,453,000 after buying an additional 163,669 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on APD. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays dropped their price objective 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, BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $330.38.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction of $181,706.50. Following the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

APD opened at $270.05 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $274.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $299.36. 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 52 week low of $243.69 and a 52 week high of $341.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.10 billion, a PE ratio of 15.68, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released 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). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. The business had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.85 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals's revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current 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.

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