PCG Asset Management LLC Buys Shares of 955 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

PCG Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 955 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $277,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 106.3% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,494 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,914,000 after buying an additional 6,952 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 374,442 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $111,488,000 after purchasing an additional 139,223 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $7,269,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 88.2% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,074,000 after purchasing an additional 4,916 shares during the period. Finally, Jensen Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 65.0% in the third quarter. Jensen Investment Management Inc. now owns 13,170 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,921,000 after purchasing an additional 5,190 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total transaction of $474,255.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $462,240.54. The trade was a 50.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,911 shares of company stock valued at $4,660,897 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on APD shares. Citigroup increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Barclays raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. 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. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $343.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE APD opened at $316.55 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $310.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $305.95. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $227.53 and a 12 month high of $341.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.38, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its 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, 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date 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 payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

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.