one8zero8 LLC Buys New Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

one8zero8 LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 1,900 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $551,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% during the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on APD. Barclays upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 target price (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America cut 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $342.65.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total value of $410,644.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,008,604.84. This represents a 28.93 % 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 valued at $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE APD opened at $291.82 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $64.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.95, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $312.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $308.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $227.53 and a 52 week high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted 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 predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is 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.