UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Buys 3,251 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 25.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 15,969 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 3,251 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $4,632,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of APD. Moment Partners LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $331,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 374,808 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $106,412,000 after purchasing an additional 29,843 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 71.8% in the fourth quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 144,102 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,795,000 after buying an additional 60,202 shares in the last quarter. Cottage Street Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Cottage Street Advisors LLC now owns 1,004 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $291,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, TrueMark Investments LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. TrueMark Investments LLC now owns 14,395 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,175,000 after buying an additional 1,210 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total transaction of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. This represents a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at $1,008,604.84. This trade represents a 28.93 % decrease in their position. 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. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD opened at $292.34 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $311.68 and its 200-day moving average is $308.95. The stock has a market cap of $65.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.98, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 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 results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders 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 41.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $341.47.

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.