PYA Waltman Capital LLC Has $1.04 Million Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

PYA Waltman Capital LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,577 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the quarter. PYA Waltman Capital LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,038,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $313.97 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $69.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.23, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $226.95 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $308.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $304.26.

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 (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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share 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. Investors 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 represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.28%. 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 41.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on APD shares. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $339.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total value of $410,644.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,008,604.84. This represents a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total value of $993,565.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. The trade was a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 13,411 shares of company stock valued at $4,186,642 over the last ninety days. 0.41% of the stock is 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.