Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. Invests $367,000 in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,267 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $367,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mantle Ridge LP acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,191,344,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $919,721,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 129.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,429,147 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,574,670,000 after acquiring an additional 3,062,157 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $885,371,000. Finally, Capital International Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $436,636,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were 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 owns 719 shares in the company, valued at $221,811.50. This trade represents a 45.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on APD. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Thursday. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded 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 research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $331.00.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock traded up $1.44 during trading on Thursday, reaching $273.20. 1,291,731 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,446,012. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.69 and a 1-year high of $341.14. The company has a market cap of $60.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.87, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $272.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $298.05.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. Air Products and Chemicals's revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.85 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.62%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is 104.07%.

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.