one8zero8 LLC Invests $551,000 in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

one8zero8 LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 1,900 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $551,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 167,845 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $48,682,000 after purchasing an additional 11,012 shares in the last quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC now owns 5,519 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,601,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. First National Trust Co lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. First National Trust Co now owns 7,042 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,042,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 6,635 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,924,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at $12,609,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 14th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $350.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and set a $320.00 target price (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $342.65.

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Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total transaction of $474,255.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,462 shares of the company's stock, valued at $462,240.54. The trade was a 50.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

APD stock traded down $1.23 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $292.77. The stock had a trading volume of 860,004 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,569,462. 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 52 week low of $227.53 and a 52 week high of $341.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.00, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $313.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $308.24.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced 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%. As a group, research analysts forecast 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.45%. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is 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.