Teacher Retirement System of Texas Buys 11,624 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 780.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,113 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,624 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $3,803,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 2,362 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.82, for a total transaction of $745,966.84. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,045 shares in the company, valued at $3,172,411.90. This represents a 19.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of APD stock opened at $294.06 on Tuesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $227.53 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a 50 day moving average of $313.04 and a 200-day moving average of $308.84. The firm has a market cap of $65.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.08, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. 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 Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on APD. StockNews.com cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 target price (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $342.65.

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.