Saturna Capital Corp Has $32.18 Million Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Saturna Capital Corp grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 0.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 110,935 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Saturna Capital Corp’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $32,176,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in APD. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth about $225,000. Wolverine Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 16.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 3,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,042,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. Catalytic Wealth RIA LLC lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 8.7% in the third quarter. Catalytic Wealth RIA LLC now owns 1,266 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $377,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 179.7% in the third quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 3,435 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,023,000 after buying an additional 2,207 shares during the period. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 44.2% during the third quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,281 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,252,000 after acquiring an additional 4,379 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 transaction 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 $3,282,177.60. This represents a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were 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 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. Insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 over the last quarter. 0.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APD has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $343.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $298.41 on Wednesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $227.53 and a one year high of $341.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market cap of $66.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.33, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $312.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $307.80.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates 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, equities analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. 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 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.