The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Has $38.59 Million Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lowered its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 5.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 133,039 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 7,108 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned 0.06% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $38,587,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Optiver Holding B.V. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at $99,000. Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 197.0% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 300 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $87,000 after buying an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $8,793,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $455,000. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,310,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock traded down $1.56 on Tuesday, hitting $270.66. 142,149 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,475,218. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $282.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $303.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.21 billion, a PE ratio of 15.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $243.69 and a one year high of $341.14.

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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.83 by ($0.14). The company had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. The company's quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.85 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at $1,173,204. This represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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 value of $1,419,570.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating 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 target for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of 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. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $330.38.

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.