Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Stock Holdings Lifted by NorthRock Partners LLC

NorthRock Partners LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 110.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,993 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,571 shares during the quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $868,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings 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 valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD opened at $274.66 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $61.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.95, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $276.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $300.37. 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.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 EPS 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 analysts’ expectations of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.85 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction of $181,706.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 719 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $221,811.50. This trade represents a 45.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Victoria Brifo sold 2,362 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.82, for a total value of $745,966.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,045 shares in the company, valued at $3,172,411.90. The trade was a 19.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 5,751 shares of company stock valued at $1,812,572 in the last three months. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. 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. Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays decreased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.