Natixis Advisors L.P. Sells 15,331 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Natixis Advisors L.P. reduced its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 10.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 129,481 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 15,331 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $35,451,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dover Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% during the third quarter. Dover Advisors LLC now owns 1,894 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $540,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 1,566 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $444,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 40.4% during the 3rd quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 3,636 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $996,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.1% during the third quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,957 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $555,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE APD traded up $2.18 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $245.87. 1,559,471 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,590,100. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $54.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $237.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $254.47. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $212.24 and a 1-year high of $307.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $2.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.70 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 20.32% and a return on equity of 16.56%. The business’s revenue was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.74 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Seaport Res Ptn lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. TheStreet cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. StockNews.com downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $272.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $240.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.