Highview Capital Management LLC DE Buys New Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Highview Capital Management LLC DE bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 2,035 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $590,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 88.7% in the third quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total value of $410,644.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,193 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,008,604.84. This trade represents a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,411 shares of company stock worth $4,186,642. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the subject of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One 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.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD traded down $3.08 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $313.97. 1,073,494 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,760,860. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $226.95 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The company has a market cap of $69.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.85. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $308.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $304.19.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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%. Research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.