Certior Financial Group LLC Acquires Shares of 1,280 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Certior Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 1,280 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $371,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of APD. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% in the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on APD. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $320.00 target price (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $355.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $350.00 target price for the company. in a report on Monday, January 27th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $338.24.

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Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 2.6 %

NYSE APD traded up $6.84 during trading on Friday, reaching $268.88. 1,002,627 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,494,815. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $298.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $307.63. The stock has a market cap of $59.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $227.53 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. 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. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.66%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.58%.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total transaction of $474,255.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,462 shares of the company's stock, valued at $462,240.54. This trade represents a 50.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $221,811.50. This represents a 45.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

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.