WINTON GROUP Ltd Has $256,000 Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

WINTON GROUP Ltd cut its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 92.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 882 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 10,535 shares during the quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $256,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 374,808 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $106,412,000 after purchasing an additional 29,843 shares during the last quarter. Korea Investment CORP lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 71.8% during the 4th quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 144,102 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $41,795,000 after buying an additional 60,202 shares during the last quarter. Cottage Street Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Cottage Street Advisors LLC now owns 1,004 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $291,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. TrueMark Investments LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. TrueMark Investments LLC now owns 14,395 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,175,000 after acquiring an additional 1,210 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Florida Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $225,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

APD stock opened at $292.34 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market cap of $65.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.98, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $311.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $309.41. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $227.53 and a 12-month high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its 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 year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.45%. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 41.58%.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at $1,008,604.84. This trade represents a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total value of $474,255.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $462,240.54. This trade represents a 50.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on APD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup lowered their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on 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. StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $341.47.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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.