Generali Investments Management Co LLC Makes New Investment in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 90 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 106.3% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,494 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,914,000 after purchasing an additional 6,952 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 374,442 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $111,488,000 after buying an additional 139,223 shares during the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $7,269,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 88.2% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,074,000 after acquiring an additional 4,916 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,205.1% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 38,423 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $11,440,000 after acquiring an additional 35,479 shares during the period. 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 Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total value of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,680 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. This trade represents a 23.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through 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 stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the sale, 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. Insiders sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $294.43 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $65.50 billion, a PE ratio of 17.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $227.53 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $313.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $308.24.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. As a group, equities research 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 company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on APD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Barclays upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $342.65.

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.