Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Purchased by Financial Perspectives Inc

Financial Perspectives Inc raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 33.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 140 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $41,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 88.7% in the 3rd quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $339.94.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total value of $993,565.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,680 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. This trade represents a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,411 shares of company stock worth $4,186,642. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.0 %

APD stock opened at $316.89 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $70.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.40, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.85. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $308.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $304.19. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $225.26 and a 12 month high of $341.14. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, analysts forecast 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.11%.

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.