Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Bought by Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp

Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 127,282 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,265 shares during the period. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp owned approximately 0.06% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $36,917,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in 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 worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Remove Ads

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock traded up $5.06 on Friday, reaching $267.10. The company had a trading volume of 317,547 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,493,114. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market cap of $59.42 billion, a PE ratio of 15.53, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $299.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $307.81. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $227.53 and a 52-week high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.68%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is 41.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of 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 report on Friday, January 31st. 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 research report on Friday, March 14th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $338.24.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $1,173,204. This represents a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the firm'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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,462 shares of the company's stock, valued at $462,240.54. This represents a 50.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.