Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Acquired by NEOS Investment Management LLC

NEOS Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 28.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,080 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,484 shares during the period. NEOS Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $3,194,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of APD. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in 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 worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $341.47.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $292.34 on Friday. 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 company has a market cap of $65.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.98, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. 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 50 day moving average price of $311.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $308.95.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is 41.58%.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

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.