Jones Financial Companies Lllp Acquires 2,238 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 46.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 7,067 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,238 shares during the quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,050,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth $298,000. Catalina Capital Group LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 8.4% in the 3rd quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC now owns 879 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $262,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Two Point Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Two Point Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,982 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $8,034,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares during the period. Finally, Graypoint LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 1,380 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $411,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,173,204. This represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.2 %

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $310.86 on Friday. 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 simple moving average of $311.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $306.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.05, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $227.53 and a 52 week high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its earnings results 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%. Analysts expect 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup boosted their target price on 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed 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. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $343.53.

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.