Level Four Advisory Services LLC Buys 52 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Level Four Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,909 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $554,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in 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. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% during the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total transaction of $993,565.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. This represents a 23.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $616,896.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,173,204. This trade represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded 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 research report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 27th. One equities 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from 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

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $292.34 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $311.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $309.41. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $227.53 and a 1-year high of $341.14. The firm has a market cap of $65.04 billion, a PE ratio of 16.98, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. Research analysts predict 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 firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. 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.