Capital International Investors Purchases New Shares in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Capital International Investors acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,505,433 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $436,636,000. Capital International Investors owned 0.68% of Air Products and Chemicals at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 106.3% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,494 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,914,000 after purchasing an additional 6,952 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 374,442 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $111,488,000 after acquiring an additional 139,223 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,269,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 88.2% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,490 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,074,000 after purchasing an additional 4,916 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,205.1% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 38,423 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $11,440,000 after purchasing an additional 35,479 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $616,896.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,834 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,173,204. This trade represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of 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. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $355.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.18.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD stock traded down $0.37 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $264.99. The stock had a trading volume of 1,001,400 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,486,451. 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 12 month low of $228.81 and a 12 month high of $341.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.95 billion, a PE ratio of 15.39, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $290.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $306.22.

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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals 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.