CENTRAL TRUST Co Acquires 747 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 8.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,195 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 747 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,738,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 151.3% in the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 24,881 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,028,000 after purchasing an additional 14,981 shares in the last quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.6% during the first quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 67,507 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $16,355,000 after acquiring an additional 2,321 shares during the last quarter. Woodstock Corp boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.5% in the third quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 38,976 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $11,605,000 after acquiring an additional 2,387 shares in the last quarter. Trilogy Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter worth $2,625,000. Finally, ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 33.8% during the third quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 51,110 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $15,217,000 after purchasing an additional 12,925 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $340.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $291.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $330.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $320.82.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $322.01 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $212.24 and a 1 year high of $332.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.27. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $292.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $270.59. The company has a market capitalization of $71.58 billion, a PE ratio of 29.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.82.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $3.04 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 21.24%. On average, research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.33 earnings per share for the current 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.