Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Increases Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 8.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 374,808 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 29,843 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $106,412,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 106.3% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,494 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,914,000 after purchasing an additional 6,952 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 374,442 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $111,488,000 after buying an additional 139,223 shares in the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,269,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 88.2% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,074,000 after acquiring an additional 4,916 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,205.1% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 38,423 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $11,440,000 after acquiring an additional 35,479 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total value of $474,255.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $462,240.54. This trade represents a 50.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APD has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $341.47.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of APD stock opened at $295.40 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $227.53 and a 1-year high of $341.14. The firm has a market cap of $65.72 billion, a PE ratio of 17.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a 50-day moving average of $312.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $308.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

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 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%. On average, analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.42%. 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 payout ratio is currently 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.