Jensen Investment Management Inc. Has $4.23 Million Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Jensen Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 10.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,580 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 1,410 shares during the quarter. Jensen Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $4,229,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 7.5% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 38,712 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $11,526,000 after buying an additional 2,686 shares during the period. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter valued at about $200,000. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 31.9% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 156,833 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $46,695,000 after buying an additional 37,964 shares during the period. Schear Investment Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.1% during the third quarter. Schear Investment Advisers LLC now owns 3,730 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,111,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. Finally, BCGM Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.4% during the third quarter. BCGM Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,354 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $999,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research 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 target on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $342.65.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.4 %

APD stock opened at $291.82 on Monday. 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 50 day moving average price of $312.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $308.12. The company has a market cap of $64.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.95, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 EPS 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%. Analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 41.58%.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of Air Products and Chemicals 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.