Nomura Holdings Inc. Purchases 258,437 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Nomura Holdings Inc. increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 51.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 758,777 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 258,437 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals makes up 0.3% of Nomura Holdings Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest position. Nomura Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $220,076,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total transaction of $410,644.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 50.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,751 shares of company stock valued at $1,812,572. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.0%

APD opened at $273.58 on Wednesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.69 and a 1-year high of $341.14. 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 company has a market cap of $60.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $277.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $300.87.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.85 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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 research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $330.38.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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.