Crux Wealth Advisors Takes $1.30 Million Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Crux Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 4,464 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,295,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $919,721,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $885,371,000. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,615.5% during the fourth quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 530,005 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $153,723,000 after buying an additional 499,110 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $71,307,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,485,176 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,231,560,000 after acquiring an additional 207,404 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Bank of America cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 14th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $355.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $338.24.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $268.88 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $298.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $307.63. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $227.53 and a 52-week high of $341.14. The company has a market capitalization of $59.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.61, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. 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 (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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, equities research 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. Shareholders 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 2.66%. 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 41.58%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total transaction of $474,255.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $462,240.54. This trade represents a 50.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

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.