Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC Invests $977,000 in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,569 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $977,000.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Legacy Bridge LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Cetera Trust Company N.A bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:APD traded up $1.00 during trading on Friday, hitting $236.08. The stock had a trading volume of 1,251,373 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,281,333. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $212.24 and a 12-month high of $307.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $237.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $255.60.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.00 by ($0.18). The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.84% and a net margin of 18.82%. The firm’s revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.64 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on APD. UBS Group downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $328.00 to $241.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Bank of America upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $264.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $305.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Seaport Res Ptn cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, TheStreet cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $276.36.

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.