Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co reduced its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 14.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 124,856 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 20,918 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co owned approximately 0.06% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $36,199,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $919,721,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $885,371,000. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,615.5% in the fourth quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 530,005 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $153,723,000 after acquiring an additional 499,110 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $71,307,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,485,176 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $6,231,560,000 after purchasing an additional 207,404 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on APD shares. Bank of America lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $320.00 target price (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $332.18.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,834 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,173,204. This trade represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of Air Products and Chemicals 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 owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at $1,008,604.84. This represents a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE APD traded up $3.39 on Thursday, reaching $268.13. 265,766 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,479,765. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $228.81 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. The business's fifty day moving average price is $289.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $305.94. 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 (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. Analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current 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.