Blue Trust Inc. Decreases Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Blue Trust Inc. lowered its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 49.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,779 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 1,732 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.'s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $516,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 88.7% in the 3rd quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $330.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD traded down $4.26 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $310.02. 1,392,858 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,750,034. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $308.50 and a 200-day moving average of $304.48. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $227.10 and a 52 week high of $341.14. The stock has a market cap of $68.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.00, a PEG ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.85. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results 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%. On average, analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is 41.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the company'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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Victoria Brifo sold 2,362 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.82, for a total value of $745,966.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,172,411.90. This represents a 19.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,911 shares of company stock valued at $4,660,897 in the last ninety days. 0.41% of the stock is owned by company 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.