Americana Partners LLC Takes $26.42 Million Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Americana Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 91,092 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $26,420,000. Air Products and Chemicals comprises 1.1% of Americana Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,874,347 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,448,570,000 after acquiring an additional 88,806 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 29,954.1% in 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 last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,867,290 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $555,967,000 after acquiring an additional 70,759 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,633,381 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $486,343,000 after acquiring an additional 19,209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,249,142 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $371,920,000 after acquiring an additional 14,077 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on APD shares. BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and issued 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 target price for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Redburn Atlantic raised Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $330.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $339.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 represents a 28.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 value of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,282,177.60. The trade was a 23.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 13,411 shares of company stock valued at $4,186,642. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

NYSE APD traded down $3.08 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $313.97. The stock had a trading volume of 1,073,494 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,760,860. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $226.95 and a 52-week high of $341.14. The company has a market cap of $69.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.23, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $308.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $304.19. 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 (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share 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%. Equities 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.28%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.11%.

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.