Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Bought by Monte Financial Group LLC

Monte Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,590 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 284 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals comprises 2.3% of Monte Financial Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Monte Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $5,535,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 62.3% during the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 11,230,051 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,720,704,000 after purchasing an additional 4,309,040 shares in the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 3,062,859 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $790,371,000 after purchasing an additional 122,676 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 127.3% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,792,470 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $720,597,000 after purchasing an additional 1,564,169 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.7% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 2,043,099 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $608,312,000 after buying an additional 33,313 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.3% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,034,818 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $525,085,000 after buying an additional 5,140 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

APD stock opened at $326.62 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $212.24 and a 52-week high of $332.42. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $292.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $270.59.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.16. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 21.24%. The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.04 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.33 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on APD. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. StockNews.com raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Evercore ISI raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $305.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $310.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $291.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $320.82.

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.