130,369 Shares in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Purchased by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 130,369 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $37,812,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.06% of Air Products and Chemicals as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Parvin Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $715,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 44.2% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 4,804 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,393,000 after acquiring an additional 1,473 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $267,000. Oregon Pacific Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $335,000. Finally, Highview Capital Management LLC DE bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $590,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on APD. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Thursday. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $320.00 target price (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup lowered 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. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $331.00.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE APD traded up $5.82 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $278.99. The stock had a trading volume of 2,872,928 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,448,278. The company has a market cap of $62.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.20, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.69 and a twelve month high of $341.14. The business's fifty day moving average is $271.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $297.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.85 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.57%. The ex-dividend date 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 Air Products and Chemicals 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 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 SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

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.