Littlejohn Financial Services Inc. Invests $816,000 in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Littlejohn Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 2,815 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $816,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 88.7% during the third quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target for the company. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $339.94.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the firm’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 directly owns 10,680 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,282,177.60. This trade represents a 23.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $616,896.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,749 shares of company stock valued at $3,030,032 over the last three months. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $315.30 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $308.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $302.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.12 billion, a PE ratio of 18.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.34. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $216.30 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 EPS 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%. As a group, equities 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.11%.

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.