Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Boosts Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 85,641 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,439 shares during the quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $25,077,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 88.7% during the 3rd quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other 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 value of $993,565.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares in the company, valued at $3,282,177.60. This represents a 23.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 9,749 shares of company stock valued at $3,030,032. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $316.74 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $308.42 and its 200 day moving average is $302.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $220.26 and a 1 year high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 12.77 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. Stockholders 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 is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on APD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 target price (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group upped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 target price for the company. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals 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.