Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Acquired by Financial Perspectives Inc

Financial Perspectives Inc increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 33.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 140 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Financial Perspectives Inc’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $41,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 88.7% during the third quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 2,362 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.82, for a total value of $745,966.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 10,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,172,411.90. This trade represents a 19.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total transaction of $410,644.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,008,604.84. This trade represents a 28.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 13,411 shares of company stock valued at $4,186,642 over the last quarter. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $316.89 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap 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 52-week low of $225.26 and a 52-week high of $341.14. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $308.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $304.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its 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 return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. Equities research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.11%.

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.