13D Management LLC Buys Shares of 17,450 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

13D Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 17,450 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,061,000. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for about 3.7% of 13D Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,742 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $505,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC increased its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 31 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $272.80 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $60.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.84, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $235.14 and a 12 month 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 50-day moving average price of $284.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $304.09.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. Air Products and Chemicals’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.85 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Victoria Brifo sold 2,362 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.82, for a total transaction of $745,966.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $355.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup cut 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. Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $332.94.

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.