Cordatus Wealth Management LLC Invests $2.22 Million in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Cordatus Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 7,640 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,216,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $888,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Stockton raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 1,813 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $540,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 33.3% in the 4th quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc now owns 140 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 203 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chesapeake Wealth Management raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 2,189 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $652,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $313.97 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $308.55 and a 200 day moving average of $304.26. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $226.95 and a 12 month high of $341.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 EPS 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.28%. 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 (DPR) is currently 41.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total value of $410,644.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,008,604.84. This trade represents a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Victoria Brifo sold 2,362 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,045 shares in the company, valued at $3,172,411.90. This represents a 19.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 13,411 shares of company stock valued at $4,186,642 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on APD shares. BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays upgraded 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 report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group upped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. 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 for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $339.94.

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.