4,175 Shares in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Bought by Twinbeech Capital LP

Twinbeech Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 4,175 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,211,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $715,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 106.3% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,494 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,914,000 after buying an additional 6,952 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 44.2% in the fourth quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 4,804 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,393,000 after purchasing an additional 1,473 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 118.2% in the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 2,459 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $713,000 after purchasing an additional 1,332 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tran Capital Management L.P. bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $8,499,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein raised 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. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $330.38.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of APD traded up $3.79 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $273.63. 180,854 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,412,528. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.69 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The firm's fifty day moving average is $273.41 and its 200-day moving average is $298.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.83 by ($0.14). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. The business had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.85 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.62%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 104.07%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 value 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.