Stratos Investment Management LLC Increases Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Stratos Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 19.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 950 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the period. Stratos Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $283,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 11,593 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,452,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.6% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,343 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $400,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% during the first quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 3,740 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $906,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 203 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 10,906 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,814,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on APD. Vertical Research raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $336.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, October 7th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $323.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $320.82.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $332.10 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $289.56 and a 200 day moving average of $268.68. The company has a market cap of $73.83 billion, a PE ratio of 29.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.82. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $212.24 and a 12-month high of $332.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 16.53%. The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.04 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.33 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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.