Gotham Asset Management LLC Has $316,000 Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Gotham Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 12.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,091 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 117 shares during the quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $316,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 62,981 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $18,267,000 after buying an additional 2,453 shares during the last quarter. Ethic Inc. raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 18.9% in the 4th quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 15,567 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,515,000 after acquiring an additional 2,475 shares during the period. FORA Capital LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $248,000. Fullcircle Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $215,000. Finally, FWL Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. FWL Investment Management LLC now owns 5,734 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,663,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total value of $474,255.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $462,240.54. This trade represents a 50.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares in the company, valued at $221,811.50. This trade represents a 45.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America cut 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 note on Tuesday, April 15th. Barclays dropped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup dropped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $330.38.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $275.79 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.69 and a 52 week high of $341.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.02, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $275.30 and its 200 day moving average is $299.56.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.14). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. The company had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.85 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 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.