Mizuho Securities USA LLC Has $6.11 Million Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 46.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 21,070 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 6,654 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $6,111,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter worth $42,000. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.3% in the third quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 2,992 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $891,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 308,329 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $91,802,000 after purchasing an additional 3,901 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,249,142 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $371,920,000 after purchasing an additional 14,077 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 22.2% during the 3rd quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 32,220 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,085,000 after buying an additional 5,854 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at $1,173,204. This represents a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on APD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $342.65.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.5 %

APD opened at $291.35 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $227.53 and a twelve month high of $341.14. The firm has a market cap of $64.82 billion, a PE ratio of 16.92, 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. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $313.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $308.45.

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 (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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. 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. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.46%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

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.