Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Bought by IFP Advisors Inc

IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,615 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,049,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total transaction of $410,644.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at $1,008,604.84. This represents a 28.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 14,911 shares of company stock worth $4,660,897. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD stock opened at $312.83 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $227.53 and a 52 week high of $341.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.60 billion, a PE ratio of 18.17, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $309.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $305.45.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. On average, research analysts predict 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.29%. 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. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on APD. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $339.94.

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.