SPC Financial Inc. Purchases 2,673 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

SPC Financial Inc. boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 138.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,599 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,673 shares during the period. SPC Financial Inc.'s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,334,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 8.6% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,605 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $776,000 after buying an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 7.7% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 436,143 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $129,857,000 after purchasing an additional 31,028 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter valued at about $3,234,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 301.1% during the third quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,083 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 813 shares during the period. Finally, Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth about $1,000,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the company'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 value of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at $1,173,204. This represents a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total value of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,680 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. The trade was a 23.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 14,911 shares of company stock valued at $4,660,897. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on APD. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. 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. Bank of America downgraded 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 report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $343.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 2.1 %

Air Products and Chemicals stock traded up $6.35 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $311.70. The company had a trading volume of 2,285,916 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,671,229. The stock has a market cap of $69.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.10, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $227.53 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The business has a fifty day moving average of $310.83 and a 200 day moving average of $306.65.

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 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect 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 company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. 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.