Natural Investments LLC Makes New Investment in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Natural Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 1,363 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $395,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth approximately $225,000. Wolverine Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 16.7% during the third quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 3,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,042,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Catalytic Wealth RIA LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 8.7% during the third quarter. Catalytic Wealth RIA LLC now owns 1,266 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $377,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 179.7% during the third quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 3,435 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,023,000 after buying an additional 2,207 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 44.2% during the third quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,281 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,252,000 after buying an additional 4,379 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.7 %

APD opened at $298.41 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $227.53 and a 12 month high of $341.14. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $312.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $307.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.33, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 41.58%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total transaction of $410,644.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,008,604.84. The trade was a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 719 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $221,811.50. This represents a 45.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 in the last 90 days. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on APD. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $343.53.

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.