VSM Wealth Advisory LLC Invests $120,000 in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

VSM Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 413 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $120,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $885,371,000. Sachem Head Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth about $163,013,000. TOMS Capital Investment Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter worth about $159,886,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $71,307,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 25.2% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,165,733 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $350,139,000 after purchasing an additional 234,322 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Bank of America lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $342.65.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares in the company, valued at approximately $221,811.50. The trade was a 45.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 in the last 90 days. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD opened at $294.43 on Thursday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $227.53 and a 1 year high of $341.14. 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’s fifty day moving average price is $313.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $308.24. The firm has a market cap of $65.50 billion, a PE ratio of 17.10, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current 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 paid a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. This is a positive change 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 payout ratio is currently 41.58%.

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.