Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Bought by Banco de Sabadell S.A

Banco de Sabadell S.A grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 20.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,496 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,099 shares during the quarter. Banco de Sabadell S.A’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,890,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 106.3% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,494 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,914,000 after buying an additional 6,952 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 374,442 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $111,488,000 after acquiring an additional 139,223 shares during the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth about $7,269,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 88.2% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,074,000 after purchasing an additional 4,916 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,205.1% during the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 38,423 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $11,440,000 after purchasing an additional 35,479 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on APD shares. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 target price (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $342.65.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $291.35 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $64.82 billion, a PE ratio of 16.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $313.19 and a 200-day moving average of $308.45. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $227.53 and a one year high of $341.14.

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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.46%. 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 (DPR) 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.