National Pension Service Has $105.38 Million Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

National Pension Service lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 384,865 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,235 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned 0.17% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $105,376,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Meridian Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Meridian Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,524 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,608,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 32,883 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $9,003,000 after acquiring an additional 1,459 shares in the last quarter. Evexia Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Evexia Wealth LLC now owns 8,337 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,152,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares during the period. Everpar Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth $454,000. Finally, Gryphon Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $486,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD stock traded up $2.72 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $248.99. 265,810 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,696,726. The company has a market capitalization of $55.35 billion, a PE ratio of 22.43, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $212.24 and a 12-month high of $307.71. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $238.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $253.28.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $2.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.70 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.05 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 20.32%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.74 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $279.00 price objective for the company. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. StockNews.com downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $272.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $277.43.

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.