2,405 Shares in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Acquired by Aspire Growth Partners LLC

Aspire Growth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 2,405 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $697,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,742 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $505,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,028 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $588,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC raised its holdings in 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 period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $888,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 974 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $282,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $277.54 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.75 billion, a PE ratio of 16.12, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.69 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $283.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $303.77.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.85 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. UBS Group dropped 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. Barclays decreased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $330.38.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total value of $474,255.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $462,240.54. This trade represents a 50.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value 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 represents a 45.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 over the last 90 days. 0.41% of the stock is currently 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.