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

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1,615.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 530,005 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 499,110 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for approximately 1.5% of Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC owned 0.24% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $153,723,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 16,844 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,015,000 after purchasing an additional 498 shares during the period. Avestar Capital LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 8.0% during the third quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,068 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $318,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 14.8% in the 3rd quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,469 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $437,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter worth approximately $285,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total value of $410,644.00. Following the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 target price (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $341.47.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

NYSE APD opened at $295.40 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $227.53 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $312.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $308.82. The firm has a market cap of $65.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.15, 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 current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share 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 given a dividend of $1.79 per share. 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. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.42%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 41.58%.

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.