Sage Mountain Advisors LLC Raises Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Sage Mountain Advisors LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 23.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,572 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $430,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Legacy Bridge LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Cetera Trust Company N.A purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Finally, FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.4% during the third quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE APD opened at $234.37 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $236.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $256.79. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $212.24 and a 12 month high of $307.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.36, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by ($0.18). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 18.82% and a return on equity of 16.84%. The company had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.64 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be given a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.02%. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $305.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $276.36.

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.