3,581 Shares in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Acquired by Nixon Capital LLC

Nixon Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,581 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,141,000. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for approximately 0.4% of Nixon Capital LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of APD. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% in the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. This represents a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $221,811.50. This trade represents a 45.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. Insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $355.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised 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 research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $338.24.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD traded up $6.84 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $268.88. The company had a trading volume of 1,002,627 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,494,815. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $227.53 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $298.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $307.63. The company has a market capitalization of $59.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.61, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89.

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 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%. 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 company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.66%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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.