Maple Capital Management Inc. Acquires 1,789 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Maple Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 68,310 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 1,789 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals comprises about 1.5% of Maple Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Maple Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $19,813,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter worth $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $316.55 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $70.42 billion, a PE ratio of 18.38, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $227.53 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The business has a 50 day moving average of $310.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $305.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. 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. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 41.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 14,911 shares of company stock worth $4,660,897. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on APD. Citigroup raised their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $339.94.

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.