Birnam Oak Advisors LP purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 4,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,160,000. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for 0.6% of Birnam Oak Advisors LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its position 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 buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC raised its stake in 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 worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
APD has been the topic of several research reports. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $320.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $342.65.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on APD
Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.5 %
Shares of NYSE:APD traded down $1.58 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $291.35. The company had a trading volume of 2,875,078 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,419,714. The company has a market capitalization of $64.82 billion, a PE ratio of 16.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $227.53 and a one year high of $341.14. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $313.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $308.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96.
Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced 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%. As a group, research analysts forecast 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 given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.46%. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.58%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $616,896.00. Following the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total transaction of $410,644.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,193 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,008,604.84. The trade was a 28.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.
About Air Products and Chemicals
(
Free Report)
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.
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