Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC Raises Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 8.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 452 shares during the quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,569,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of APD. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in 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 about $27,000. Stuart Chaussee & Associates Inc. grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 257.6% during the 4th quarter. Stuart Chaussee & Associates Inc. now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Legacy Bridge LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on APD shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $240.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Bank of America raised their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $272.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. TheStreet downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $250.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $277.43.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE:APD traded up $0.57 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $248.17. 453,885 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,714,796. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The company has a market capitalization of $55.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.80. The company’s 50 day moving average is $238.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $253.49. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $212.24 and a twelve month high of $307.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $2.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.70 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 20.32% and a return on equity of 16.56%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.74 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.31 earnings per share 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.