Waverly Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Waverly Advisors LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 304.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,093 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 13,620 shares during the period. Waverly Advisors LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $5,248,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $715,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 106.3% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,494 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,914,000 after buying an additional 6,952 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 44.2% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 4,804 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,393,000 after buying an additional 1,473 shares during the last quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 53,274 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $15,452,000 after buying an additional 2,164 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 118.2% in the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 2,459 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $713,000 after buying an additional 1,332 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total value of $474,255.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 719 shares in the company, valued at approximately $221,811.50. This represents 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 insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup cut their target price on 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 Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and cut their target price for the company from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on 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 investment 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $330.38.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD stock opened at $275.79 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $61.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $275.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $299.56.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.14). The firm 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 quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.85 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

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.