Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Acquired by Korea Investment CORP

Korea Investment CORP increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 71.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 144,102 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 60,202 shares during the quarter. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $41,795,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cottage Street Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Cottage Street Advisors LLC now owns 1,004 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $291,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. TrueMark Investments LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. TrueMark Investments LLC now owns 14,395 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,175,000 after purchasing an additional 1,210 shares during the period. Florida Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at $225,000. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 1,107 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 721 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $209,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $295.40 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $312.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $308.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.15, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. 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 52-week low of $227.53 and a 52-week high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. On average, equities 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 disclosed 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. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.42%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup lowered their target price on 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 lifted their target price for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded 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 research report on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $341.47.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 2,362 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.82, for a total value of $745,966.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,172,411.90. This represents a 19.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

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.