Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor INC. Sells 5,125 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor INC. trimmed its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 52.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 4,596 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 5,125 shares during the quarter. Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor INC.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,333,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in 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 in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on APD. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $330.38.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the business’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 directly owns 719 shares in the company, valued at $221,811.50. The trade was a 45.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of APD stock opened at $270.05 on Thursday. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.69 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $274.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $299.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.68, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.83 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.85 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.