Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Bought by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 12.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 84,415 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 9,629 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $23,113,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of APD. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Legacy Bridge LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.4% during the third quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Artemis Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth about $39,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $234.37 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $236.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $256.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.58. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $212.24 and a 12 month high of $307.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.00 by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.20 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.84% and a net margin of 18.82%. Air Products and Chemicals’s revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.64 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Investors of record on Monday, April 1st will be paid a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.02%. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on APD shares. Seaport Res Ptn lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. UBS Group cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $328.00 to $241.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. TheStreet cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $279.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $240.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $276.36.

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.