Root Financial Partners LLC Takes Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 922 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $267,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 88.7% during the third quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Barclays raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of 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. 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 for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $339.94.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction 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 represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,749 shares of company stock worth $3,030,032. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:APD traded up $0.85 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $316.97. 1,240,728 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,788,825. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $308.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $303.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $225.26 and a 52-week high of $341.14. 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 stock has a market cap of $70.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85.

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 (EPS) 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.11%.

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.