FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co Purchases 200 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 18.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,273 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $369,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 10,772 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,207,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,793 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,725,000 after buying an additional 647 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 67,201 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $20,008,000 after buying an additional 3,259 shares in the last quarter. Traynor Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $205,000. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $688,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD stock opened at $313.79 on Thursday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $227.53 and a one year high of $341.14. The company’s 50-day moving average is $309.18 and its 200 day moving average is $305.39. The company has a market capitalization of $69.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. Sell-side analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America cut shares of 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 note on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group upped 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 note on Tuesday, January 28th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $339.94.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total transaction of $410,644.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,008,604.84. This trade represents a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 14,911 shares of company stock valued at $4,660,897 in the last 90 days. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.