Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Purchased by Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc.

Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc. increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for about 1.0% of Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $6,236,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of APD. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $291.35 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $227.53 and a 52 week high of $341.14. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $313.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $308.22.

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

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 dividend yield of 2.46%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is 41.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on APD. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group lowered 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. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $342.65.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $221,811.50. The trade was a 45.03 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total transaction of $474,255.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $462,240.54. This represents a 50.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 in the last quarter. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.