Savant Capital LLC Increases Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Savant Capital LLC boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 8.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,520 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 739 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,761,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its stake 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 valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its position in 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 worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,173,204. This represents a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 9,749 shares of company stock valued at $3,030,032 over the last 90 days. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $310.35 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $308.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $302.60. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $216.30 and a twelve month high of $341.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.02, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on APD. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 target price (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals 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.