Fire Capital Management LLC Makes New Investment in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Fire Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,466 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $715,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 14.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $945,000 after buying an additional 412 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 15.7% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,062 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,209,000 after buying an additional 551 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 34,914 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $10,127,000 after buying an additional 1,436 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 44.3% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 23,957 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $6,948,000 after buying an additional 7,353 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,402 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $987,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock traded up $5.82 during trading on Friday, reaching $278.99. 2,872,928 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,448,278. 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 twelve month low of $243.69 and a twelve month high of $341.14. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $271.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $297.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.20, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.83 by ($0.14). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. The company had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.85 EPS. The business's revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is 104.07%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares of the company's stock, valued at $221,811.50. This trade represents a 45.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $320.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $331.00.

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.