Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Bought by AGF Management Ltd.

AGF Management Ltd. raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 53.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,834 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,910 shares during the quarter. AGF Management Ltd.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $5,753,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $885,371,000. ING Groep NV raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 240.7% in the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,023,433 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $304,717,000 after acquiring an additional 723,019 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 318.7% in the third quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 948,723 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $282,473,000 after purchasing an additional 722,132 shares during the last quarter. Sachem Head Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter valued at $163,013,000. Finally, TOMS Capital Investment Management LP acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter valued at $159,886,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of APD opened at $294.70 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $65.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $227.53 and a one year 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $312.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $307.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. UBS Group upped their target price on 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. Bank of America lowered 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $343.53.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 719 shares in the company, valued at $221,811.50. The trade was a 45.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 over the last quarter. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.