Swiss National Bank Has $182.17 Million Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Swiss National Bank reduced its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 628,100 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 31,700 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.28% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $182,174,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 61,816 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $17,929,000 after acquiring an additional 2,282 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,202,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,789 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $809,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 19.9% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,685 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $489,000 after acquiring an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 26.0% during the fourth quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 306,004 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $88,753,000 after acquiring an additional 63,142 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on APD shares. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued 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 analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $343.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $292.53 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $227.53 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.99, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $312.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $307.60.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 41.58%.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 719 shares in the company, valued at approximately $221,811.50. The trade was a 45.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

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.