Key Financial Inc Increases Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Key Financial Inc grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 17.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 533 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Key Financial Inc’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $155,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of APD. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 29,954.1% during the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 2,894,211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $861,722,000 after acquiring an additional 2,884,581 shares during the period. ING Groep NV lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 240.7% during the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,023,433 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $304,717,000 after acquiring an additional 723,019 shares during the period. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 318.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 948,723 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $282,473,000 after acquiring an additional 722,132 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,685.4% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 764,489 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $249,698,000 after acquiring an additional 721,671 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 29,957.6% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 718,075 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,138,000,000 after acquiring an additional 715,686 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total transaction of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,680 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. This represents a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,173,204. This trade represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 9,749 shares of company stock valued at $3,030,032 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $316.97 on Wednesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $225.26 and a 52-week high of $341.14. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $308.39 and a 200-day moving average of $304.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.49 billion, a PE ratio of 18.41, a P/E/G ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (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 anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 EPS 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 dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. 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 2.26%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 41.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on APD shares. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Bank of America downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. 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. StockNews.com downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $339.94.

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.