Natixis Advisors LLC Raises Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 7.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 167,845 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 11,012 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned about 0.08% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $48,682,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $885,371,000. Sachem Head Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth about $163,013,000. TOMS Capital Investment Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth about $159,886,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $71,307,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 25.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,165,733 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $350,139,000 after purchasing an additional 234,322 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,173,204. This represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Remove Ads

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock traded down $1.23 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $292.77. The company had a trading volume of 860,004 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,419,670. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $313.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $308.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market cap of $65.13 billion, a PE ratio of 17.00, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $227.53 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share 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. Investors 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 represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. 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 41.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on APD. Barclays raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $320.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 14th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $342.65.

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.