Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Stock Holdings Lowered by Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC

Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC decreased its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 2.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 120,060 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 2,535 shares during the quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC owned 0.05% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $34,822,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in APD. First Merchants Corp acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth $205,000. Littlejohn Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $816,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $267,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 85,641 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $25,077,000 after purchasing an additional 2,439 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mycio Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. Mycio Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,099 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,349,000 after purchasing an additional 1,099 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APD has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $350.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $339.94.

Insider Activity

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total transaction of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,680 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. This trade represents a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,749 shares of company stock valued at $3,030,032. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD traded up $0.85 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $316.97. The stock had a trading volume of 1,240,728 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,788,825. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $225.26 and a 52 week high of $341.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.41, a P/E/G ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $308.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $303.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (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%. On average, research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid 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 dividend yield of 2.26%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.11%.

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.