Raiffeisen Bank International AG Makes New $26.85 Million Investment in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 93,013 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,852,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in the fourth 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 acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% in the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on APD shares. StockNews.com downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America lowered shares of 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 report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $330.38.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $271.20 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $276.96 and its 200 day moving average is $300.67. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $243.69 and a one year high of $341.14. The firm has a market cap of $60.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.75, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued 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). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.85 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total value of $410,644.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,008,604.84. This trade represents a 28.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $221,811.50. This represents a 45.03% 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 ninety days. 0.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.