Littlejohn Financial Services Inc. Buys Shares of 2,815 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Littlejohn Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake 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 bought 2,815 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $816,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $888,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 11,593 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,452,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,343 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Stockton lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 1,813 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $540,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 203 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total value of $993,565.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares in the company, valued at $3,282,177.60. This represents a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 9,749 shares of company stock worth $3,030,032. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on APD shares. Citigroup upped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays raised Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group increased their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.3 %

APD stock traded up $0.85 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $316.97. The company had a trading volume of 1,260,181 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,808,496. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $225.26 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14. The company has a market capitalization of $70.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.11. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $308.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $303.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 EPS 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%. Analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.11%.

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.