Florida Financial Advisors LLC Makes New $225,000 Investment in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Florida Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 774 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $225,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.0 %

NYSE APD opened at $293.57 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $312.75 and its 200-day moving average is $309.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.05, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $227.53 and a one year high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. Equities research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,173,204. This trade represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 over the last ninety days. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $341.47.

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.