Advisors Asset Management Inc. Cuts Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Advisors Asset Management Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 18.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 60,419 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 13,533 shares during the quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $17,524,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. PDS Planning Inc lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 18.6% during the 4th quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 1,252 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $363,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. Mystic Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 68.9% during the 4th quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,806 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $524,000 after acquiring an additional 737 shares during the period. Birnam Oak Advisors LP bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,160,000. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. now owns 245,585 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $71,229,000 after acquiring an additional 911 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,208 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,220,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

APD stock traded down $1.58 during trading on Friday, reaching $291.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,875,078 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,414,591. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $227.53 and a 1 year 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 market capitalization of $64.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company's fifty day moving average is $313.19 and its 200-day moving average is $308.22.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. On average, research analysts expect 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.46%. 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. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is 41.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value 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 approximately $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on APD. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $342.65.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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.