Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Stock Position Lowered by Louisiana State Employees Retirement System

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System decreased its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $3,722,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CX Institutional boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,343 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.3% during the third quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 11,593 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,452,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Stockton boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% in the third quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 1,813 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $540,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% in the first quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 3,740 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $906,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% during the third 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 period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on APD shares. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $295.00 to $364.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Citigroup upped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $305.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $326.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.3 %

APD opened at $318.02 on Monday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $212.24 and a 1-year high of $332.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.70 billion, a PE ratio of 28.70, a PEG ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $294.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $271.98.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 21.24%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.33 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.