Rodgers Brothers Inc. Acquires 150 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Rodgers Brothers Inc. boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,777 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals makes up approximately 1.0% of Rodgers Brothers Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position. Rodgers Brothers Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $7,476,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth $919,721,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $885,371,000. Sachem Head Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter valued at $163,013,000. TOMS Capital Investment Management LP bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter worth about $159,886,000. Finally, Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,615.5% in the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 530,005 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $153,723,000 after acquiring an additional 499,110 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD opened at $292.34 on Monday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $311.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $309.41. The firm has a market cap of $65.04 billion, a PE ratio of 16.98, a P/E/G 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 fifty-two week low of $227.53 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.45%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $616,896.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. Insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 in the last 90 days. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 14th. Bank of America cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $341.47.

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.