Challenger Wealth Management Buys Shares of 800 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Challenger Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 800 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $232,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC raised 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 worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares in the company, valued at $221,811.50. This 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 owned by company insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $270.03 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $60.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.68, a price-to-earnings-growth 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.69 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $273.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $298.80.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.14). The business had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.85 EPS. 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 Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 104.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the topic of several research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of 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. Bank of America cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has an average 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.