Ally Financial Inc. Invests $2.47 Million in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Ally Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 8,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,465,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted 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 valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% in the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,173,204. This represents a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on APD. UBS Group cut their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of 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. Finally, Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and cut their price target for the company from $330.00 to $282.00 in a report on Tuesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $332.18.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD opened at $261.47 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $58.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.18, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. The business has a 50 day moving average of $294.63 and a 200 day moving average of $306.88. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $227.76 and a 1-year high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.58%.

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.