Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Acquired by Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 13.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,482 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 900 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,170,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of APD. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 88.7% during the 3rd quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals 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 sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total value of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,680 shares in the company, valued at $3,282,177.60. This represents a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,749 shares of company stock valued at $3,030,032 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $316.97 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $70.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $225.26 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $308.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $304.10.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently 41.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on APD. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group raised their price objective on 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. Citigroup raised their price objective 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. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $339.94.

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.