Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Bought by Global Retirement Partners LLC

Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 3.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,868 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 361 shares during the quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,862,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of APD. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 203 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 10,772 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,207,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 5,352 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,593,000 after buying an additional 326 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 8.4% in the 3rd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,219 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $959,000 after buying an additional 249 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,947 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,175,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

APD stock opened at $316.89 on Thursday. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $308.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $304.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.50 billion, a PE ratio of 18.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $225.26 and a 1 year high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) 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 anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a boost 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 2.26%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.11%.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total value of $410,644.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at $1,008,604.84. This represents a 28.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 13,411 shares of company stock worth $4,186,642. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Redburn Atlantic raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target 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. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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.