Roffman Miller Associates Inc. PA Increases Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Roffman Miller Associates Inc. PA boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 65,192 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,285 shares during the period. Roffman Miller Associates Inc. PA’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $17,850,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Legacy Bridge LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Cetera Trust Company N.A acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on APD. Argus cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. StockNews.com upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Citigroup upped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, TheStreet cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $276.36.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:APD traded up $1.46 on Friday, reaching $236.54. 682,152 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,710,375. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $212.24 and a fifty-two week high of $307.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.58 billion, a PE ratio of 22.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.58. The company’s 50 day moving average is $236.96 and its 200-day moving average is $256.16.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 18.82% and a return on equity of 16.84%. The firm’s revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.64 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.