Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Acquired by NEOS Investment Management LLC

NEOS Investment Management LLC raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 28.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 11,080 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,484 shares during the period. NEOS Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $3,194,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of APD. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $885,371,000. Sachem Head Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $163,013,000. TOMS Capital Investment Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $159,886,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $71,307,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,485,176 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,231,560,000 after acquiring an additional 207,404 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on APD. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $341.47.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $292.34 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $227.53 and a 1-year high of $341.14. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $311.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $308.95. The company has a market capitalization of $65.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.98, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted 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 return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. As a group, research 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.