Academy Capital Management Invests $250,000 in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Academy Capital Management purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 862 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $250,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at $395,000. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 17.2% in the 4th quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 2,532 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $731,000 after acquiring an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,288,570 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $373,737,000 after acquiring an additional 39,428 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 85,483 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $24,794,000 after acquiring an additional 3,990 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gryphon Financial Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,181 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $632,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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 note on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, 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 research note on Monday, November 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $343.53.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 approximately $1,008,604.84. This represents a 28.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total transaction of $474,255.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,462 shares in the company, valued at $462,240.54. This represents a 50.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 14,911 shares of company stock worth $4,660,897. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $305.21 on Wednesday. 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $310.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $306.62. The company has a market cap of $67.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.72, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $227.53 and a twelve month high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. Research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.35%. 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 is currently 41.58%.

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.