Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Boosts Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 1,615.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 530,005 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 499,110 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals makes up about 1.5% of Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC's holdings, making the stock its 4th largest position. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC owned about 0.24% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $153,723,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in APD. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,742 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $505,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,028 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $588,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $31,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $888,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 974 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $282,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

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Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE APD traded up $0.25 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $293.38. 209,113 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,495,793. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $227.53 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The firm has a market cap of $65.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $311.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $309.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. As a group, analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.44%. 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 (DPR) is presently 41.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays reduced their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $355.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. StockNews.com lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded 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 research note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $350.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $340.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at $3,282,177.60. The trade was a 23.24 % 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. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.