Stephens Inc. AR Purchases 1,895 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Stephens Inc. AR increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 5.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,811 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,895 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $11,258,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 62.3% in the first 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 during the period. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC increased its stake in 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 worth $790,371,000 after acquiring an additional 122,676 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 29,954.1% in the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 2,894,211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $861,722,000 after acquiring an additional 2,884,581 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 127.3% during the 2nd 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 acquiring an additional 1,564,169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 33,313 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE:APD opened at $309.21 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.79, a P/E/G ratio of 3.28 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. The company has a fifty day moving average of $298.45 and a 200 day moving average of $274.23. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $212.24 and a 52 week high of $332.42.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 16.53%. On average, research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on APD shares. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $295.00 to $364.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Barclays raised their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $323.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $326.12.

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.