KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Invests $21.57 Million in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 74,353 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $21,565,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Umpqua Bank boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 13.5% during the fourth quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 7,633 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,351,000 after acquiring an additional 909 shares during the last quarter. Intellus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $11,884,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 11.2% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 52,503 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $15,228,000 after purchasing an additional 5,286 shares during the last quarter. Plancorp LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 19.0% in the fourth quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 1,337 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $388,000 after buying an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 46.2% during the fourth quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 21,070 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $6,111,000 after buying an additional 6,654 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APD has been the topic of several recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised 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 report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and set a $320.00 target price (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $341.47.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.0 %

APD traded up $0.14 during trading on Thursday, hitting $295.40. 627,761 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,410,100. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $227.53 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The firm has a market cap of $65.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $312.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $308.91. 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 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 return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business 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 $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is an increase 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 2.42%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.58%.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares in the company, valued at $221,811.50. This represents a 45.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

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.