Northern Trust Corp Buys 156,419 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 4.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,583,156 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 156,419 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned about 1.61% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $1,039,259,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,485,176 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $6,231,560,000 after acquiring an additional 207,404 shares during the period. Dodge & Cox increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 6,663,154 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,932,581,000 after purchasing an additional 64,960 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,931,661 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,430,354,000 after buying an additional 57,314 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $919,721,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $885,371,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,193 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,008,604.84. The trade was a 28.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on APD shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets cut Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. UBS Group cut their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $330.38.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE APD traded up $5.38 during trading on Friday, reaching $277.54. 1,446,932 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,482,871. The business's 50-day moving average price is $284.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $304.09. The company has a market capitalization of $61.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.69 and a twelve month high of $341.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.83 by ($0.14). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. The business had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.85 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal 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.