EntryPoint Capital LLC Makes New Investment in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 793 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $230,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. CreativeOne Wealth LLC raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 14.8% in the third quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,469 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $437,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.2% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 82,515 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $24,568,000 after acquiring an additional 2,587 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,041,176 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $310,000,000 after acquiring an additional 9,260 shares during the period. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 12.9% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 9,640 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,870,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the business’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 value of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD opened at $292.34 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $65.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.98, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. 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’s 50-day moving average price is $311.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $308.95. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $227.53 and a twelve month high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced 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 net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.45%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on APD shares. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $341.47.

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.