Moment Partners LLC Takes $331,000 Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Moment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 1,142 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $331,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Centaurus Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 24.8% during the 3rd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 1,182 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $352,000 after buying an additional 235 shares during the period. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 16,844 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,015,000 after acquiring an additional 498 shares during the period. Avestar Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,068 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $318,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 44,661 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $13,297,000 after purchasing an additional 1,662 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $221,811.50. This trade represents a 45.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the vice president now 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. Insiders sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 over the last ninety days. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE:APD opened at $295.04 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $227.53 and a twelve month high of $341.14. The company has a market cap of $65.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $312.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $308.91.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released 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 net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. As a group, analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is 41.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on APD. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given 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.com, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $341.47.

Air Products and Chemicals 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.