Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Acquired by Focus Partners Wealth

Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 62,981 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 2,453 shares during the quarter. Focus Partners Wealth's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $18,267,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 2,362 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.82, for a total transaction of $745,966.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,172,411.90. This trade represents a 19.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 719 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $221,811.50. The trade was a 45.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 5,751 shares of company stock worth $1,812,572 in the last 90 days. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on APD shares. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $330.38.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 1.2%

Air Products and Chemicals stock traded up $3.18 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $274.66. 1,253,541 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,473,581. The company has a market cap of $61.12 billion, a PE ratio of 15.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.69 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14. The company's fifty day moving average price is $276.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $300.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

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 firm had revenue of $2.92 billion for 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 company's revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.85 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Air Products and Chemicals

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.