Taconic Capital Advisors LP Purchases New Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Taconic Capital Advisors LP purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 5,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,450,000. Air Products and Chemicals comprises about 0.5% of Taconic Capital Advisors LP's holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% during the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of APD stock traded up $0.79 on Friday, hitting $270.03. 527,583 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,445,421. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $273.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $298.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $243.69 and a one year high of $341.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.68, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11.

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

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is 104.07%.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 719 shares in the company, valued at approximately $221,811.50. The trade was a 45.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APD has been the topic of several recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. UBS Group decreased their price target on 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 decreased their price target on 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $330.38.

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.