Howard Capital Management Inc. Buys 72 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Howard Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,315 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $381,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wealthspire Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 66.7% in the 4th quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 1,980 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $574,000 after acquiring an additional 792 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,742 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $505,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Redmond Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $653,000. Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc. lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc. now owns 3,495 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,014,000 after buying an additional 225 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Stockton boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 2,011 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $583,000 after buying an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on APD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.2 %

APD opened at $309.17 on Tuesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $227.53 and a twelve month high of $341.14. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average price of $308.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $305.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.95, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. Equities research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 41.58%.

Insider Activity

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total value of $410,644.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at $1,008,604.84. This trade represents a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 14,911 shares of company stock valued at $4,660,897 in the last quarter. 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.