Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Bought by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 141,376 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 849 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC owned about 0.06% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $41,076,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Trek Financial LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Trek Financial LLC now owns 783 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $227,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,315,245 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $671,514,000 after acquiring an additional 98,346 shares during the last quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 127,282 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $36,917,000 after acquiring an additional 1,265 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 717,110 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $207,991,000 after acquiring an additional 8,908 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $513,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total value of $410,644.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,008,604.84. This trade represents a 28.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,173,204. This represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $259.02 on Tuesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $227.53 and a 12-month high of $341.14. 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 company has a market capitalization of $57.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $306.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $309.19.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. On average, research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.76%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on APD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $340.88.

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.