PDS Planning Inc Buys 196 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

PDS Planning Inc lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 18.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,252 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $363,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $885,371,000. Sachem Head Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $163,013,000. TOMS Capital Investment Management LP acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $159,886,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $71,307,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 25.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,165,733 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $350,139,000 after buying an additional 234,322 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD stock opened at $291.56 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $312.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $308.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market cap of $64.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.93, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $227.53 and a one year high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly 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 expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. This is an increase 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 yield of 2.46%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total value of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. The trade was a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $342.65.

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.