Quantinno Capital Management LP Raises Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 19.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,468 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 4,607 shares during the quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $8,257,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,485,176 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $6,231,560,000 after purchasing an additional 207,404 shares in the last quarter. Dodge & Cox lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 6,663,154 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,932,581,000 after buying an additional 64,960 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 129.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,429,147 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,574,670,000 after buying an additional 3,062,157 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,931,661 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,430,354,000 after buying an additional 57,314 shares during the period. Finally, Mantle Ridge LP acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth about $1,191,344,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD traded down $2.52 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $273.16. 201,726 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,449,562. 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 one year low of $243.69 and a one year high of $341.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.79 billion, a PE ratio of 15.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $275.30 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $299.56.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.85 EPS. The firm's revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on APD shares. UBS Group cut their price objective 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, May 2nd. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays reduced 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $330.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total transaction of $474,255.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,462 shares of the company's stock, valued at $462,240.54. This represents a 50.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the company's 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 $221,811.50. The trade was a 45.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.