J. W. Burns & Company held its position in Praxair, Inc. (NYSE:PX) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,600 shares of the company’s stock at the end of the fourth quarter. J. W. Burns & Company’s holdings in Praxair were worth $573,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Meag Munich Ergo Kapitalanlagegesellschaft acquired a new stake in shares of Praxair during the third quarter worth about $604,000. J. Goldman & Company acquired a new stake in shares of Praxair during the third quarter worth about $9,931,000. Natixis Asset Management increased its stake in shares of Praxair by 5.7% in the third quarter. Natixis Asset Management now owns 18,990 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,934,000 after buying an additional 1,024 shares during the period. Pensionfund DSM Netherlands increased its stake in shares of Praxair by 25.5% in the fourth quarter. Pensionfund DSM Netherlands now owns 34,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,523,000 after buying an additional 7,000 shares during the period. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic increased its stake in shares of Praxair by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 16,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,700,000 after buying an additional 3,500 shares during the period.

Praxair, Inc. (NYSE:PX) traded up 0.13% during trading on Friday, hitting $98.09. The stock had a trading volume of 1,746,780 shares. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $102.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $108.43. The stock has a market cap of $27.94 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.00. Praxair, Inc. has a 12 month low of $96.00 and a 12 month high of $130.38.

Praxair (NYSE:PX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $1.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.01. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.62 EPS. The business had revenue of $2.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.78 billion. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Praxair, Inc. will post $5.80 EPS for the current year.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Investment Research downgraded Praxair from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, November 20th. Susquehanna reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $115.00 price target (up previously from $110.00) on shares of Praxair in a research report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Jefferies Group lifted their price target on Praxair from $123.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. Barclays dropped their target price on Praxair from $130.00 to $128.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank restated a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Praxair in a research report on Sunday, November 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $119.91.

In other news, CEO Stephen F. Angel purchased 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $97.80 per share, for a total transaction of $489,000.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 133,748 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,080,554.40. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Praxair, Inc. (NYSE:PX) is an industrial gas supplier in North and South America, Asia and Europe. The Company’s operations are organized into five segments, four of which have been determined on a geographic basis of segmentation: North America, Europe, South America and Asia. In addition, Praxair operates its surface technologies business through its wholly owned subsidiary, Praxair Surface Technologies, Inc., which represents the fifth segment. The Company’s products in its industrial gases business include atmospheric gases (oxygen, nitrogen, argon, rare gases) and process gases (carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen, electronic gases, specialty gases, acetylene). The company also designs, engineers and builds equipment that produces industrial gases primarily for internal use. The company’s surface technologies segment, operated through Praxair Surface Technologies, Inc., supplies wear-resistant and high-temperature corrosion-resistant metallic and ceramic coatings and powders.

12 Month Chart for NYSE:PX

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