Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by ProVise Management Group LLC

ProVise Management Group LLC trimmed its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,144 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 1,079 shares during the period. ProVise Management Group LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $5,262,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,874,347 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,448,570,000 after purchasing an additional 88,806 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth about $885,371,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,088,449 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $605,734,000 after acquiring an additional 30,888 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,867,290 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $555,967,000 after acquiring an additional 70,759 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,633,381 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $486,343,000 after acquiring an additional 19,209 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $320.00 target price (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price 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. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. 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 given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $342.65.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.5 %

NYSE:APD traded down $1.58 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $291.35. 2,875,078 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,415,639. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $227.53 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The business has a 50-day moving average of $313.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $308.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.82 billion, a PE ratio of 16.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted 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, equities analysts forecast 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders 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 represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.46%. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.58%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total transaction of $410,644.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,008,604.84. This trade represents a 28.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction of $181,706.50. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 719 shares in the company, valued at approximately $221,811.50. This represents a 45.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. Insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

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.