Invesco Ltd. Has $291.44 Million Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,004,813 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 39,518 shares during the quarter. Invesco Ltd. owned 0.45% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $291,436,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Certior Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $371,000. Polymer Capital Management US LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,554,000. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 141,376 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $41,076,000 after acquiring an additional 849 shares during the last quarter. Trek Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Trek Financial LLC now owns 783 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $227,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,315,245 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $671,514,000 after purchasing an additional 98,346 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.18.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total transaction of $993,565.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,282,177.60. This trade represents a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 over the last quarter. 0.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD stock traded down $6.35 on Tuesday, hitting $266.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 677,826 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,488,966. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $227.53 and a fifty-two week 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. The stock's 50 day moving average is $296.87 and its 200-day moving average is $307.49. The company has a market capitalization of $59.23 billion, a PE ratio of 15.46, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is 41.58%.

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.