Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Stock Holdings Reduced by Coho Partners Ltd.

Coho Partners Ltd. decreased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 13.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 189,356 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 29,955 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals comprises about 2.5% of Coho Partners Ltd.'s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Coho Partners Ltd. owned approximately 0.09% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $54,921,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 29,954.1% in the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 2,894,211 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $861,722,000 after acquiring an additional 2,884,581 shares during the period. ING Groep NV boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 240.7% during the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,023,433 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $304,717,000 after purchasing an additional 723,019 shares during the period. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 318.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 948,723 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $282,473,000 after purchasing an additional 722,132 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,685.4% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 764,489 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $249,698,000 after buying an additional 721,671 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 29,957.6% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 718,075 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,138,000,000 after buying an additional 715,686 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

NYSE:APD traded up $0.85 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $316.97. 1,260,181 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,808,496. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a market capitalization of $70.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $225.26 and a 12 month high of $341.14. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $308.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $303.85.

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

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is presently 41.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the subject of several recent research reports. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $320.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. 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 report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $339.94.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the 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 owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total value of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,749 shares of company stock valued at $3,030,032. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.