Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Purchased by Moors & Cabot Inc.

Moors & Cabot Inc. boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 10,786 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $3,128,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during 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 period. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% during the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $616,896.00. Following the transaction, the insider now 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total value of $474,255.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,462 shares in the company, valued at $462,240.54. This trade represents a 50.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 over the last 90 days. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on APD shares. Barclays upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on 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. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $343.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD stock opened at $294.70 on Thursday. 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 current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a market capitalization of $65.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $312.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $307.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share 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%. On average, 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 company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. 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.