Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Acquired by Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1,615.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 530,005 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 499,110 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for 1.5% of Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $153,723,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at $919,721,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $885,371,000. Sachem Head Capital Management LP bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter valued at approximately $163,013,000. TOMS Capital Investment Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter valued at $159,886,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $71,307,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the topic of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Barclays upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $341.47.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm’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 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 approximately $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 719 shares in the company, valued at approximately $221,811.50. This represents a 45.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $295.40 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $65.72 billion, a PE ratio of 17.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. 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 business has a fifty day moving average price of $312.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $308.82.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 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%. 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 company also recently disclosed 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 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 dividend yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

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.