Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Invests $994,000 in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 3,427 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $994,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of APD. ING Groep NV lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 240.7% during the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,023,433 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $304,717,000 after purchasing an additional 723,019 shares in the last quarter. 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 buying an additional 722,132 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake 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. Sachem Head Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $163,013,000. Finally, TOMS Capital Investment Management LP purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter valued at approximately $159,886,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.8 %

APD traded down $5.84 on Monday, hitting $310.31. The company had a trading volume of 829,271 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,642,389. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $310.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $306.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. 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 market cap of $69.04 billion, a PE ratio of 18.02, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company 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 $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.58%.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the firm'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 sale, the insider now directly owns 1,462 shares of the company's stock, valued at $462,240.54. This represents a 50.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 14,911 shares of company stock worth $4,660,897. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note 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. Barclays upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on 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, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $343.53.

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.