Arete Wealth Advisors LLC Has $1.17 Million Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Arete Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 41.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,024 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,172 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,167,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at $919,721,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $885,371,000. Sachem Head Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth about $163,013,000. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,615.5% during the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 530,005 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $153,723,000 after acquiring an additional 499,110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $71,307,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total transaction of $993,565.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares in the company, valued at $3,282,177.60. This trade represents a 23.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares in the company, valued at $221,811.50. This represents a 45.03 % 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 three months. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APD has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Bank of America downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $350.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $338.24.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 8.6 %

Air Products and Chemicals stock traded up $21.47 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $270.08. The stock had a trading volume of 2,285,485 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,495,960. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market cap of $60.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.68, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. 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 fifty day moving average price of $300.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $308.05.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its 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%. Research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.65%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is 41.58%.

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.