ICW Investment Advisors LLC Raises Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

ICW Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,286 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 219 shares during the period. ICW Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,173,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Stuart Chaussee & Associates Inc. raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 257.6% in the fourth quarter. Stuart Chaussee & Associates Inc. now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Legacy Bridge LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.9 %

Air Products and Chemicals stock traded up $2.09 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $238.43. 819,637 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,726,719. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $237.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $254.67. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $212.24 and a one year high of $307.71. The company has a market cap of $53.00 billion, a PE ratio of 22.68, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $2.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.70 by $0.15. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 18.82% and a return on equity of 16.84%. The firm had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.74 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.38 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on APD. Wolfe Research began coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $279.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Argus downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $245.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $286.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $276.36.

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.