Associated Banc Corp Sells 4,782 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Associated Banc Corp decreased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 4.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 100,494 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 4,782 shares during the period. Associated Banc Corp's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $29,147,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,028 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $588,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% during the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $888,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 974 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays raised Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised 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 report on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $342.65.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock traded up $2.61 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $294.43. 1,027,910 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,421,574. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.50 billion, a PE ratio of 17.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $227.53 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The business's 50-day moving average is $312.89 and its 200-day moving average is $308.34.

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 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS 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 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total value of $474,255.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,462 shares of the company's stock, valued at $462,240.54. This represents a 50.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 over the last quarter. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Air Products and Chemicals

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.