Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Bought by HighPoint Advisor Group LLC

HighPoint Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,516 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,398,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CreativeOne Wealth LLC raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 14.8% during the third quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,469 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $437,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 12.9% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 9,640 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,870,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $14,921,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter worth about $992,000. Finally, TOMS Capital Investment Management LP purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $159,886,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 approximately $3,282,177.60. This trade represents a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target 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. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $341.47.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD opened at $294.76 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.12, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $227.53 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $311.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $309.51.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.