Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Stock Position Lowered by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC cut its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 150,919 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 6,049 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC owned about 0.07% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $43,773,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 106.3% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,494 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,914,000 after acquiring an additional 6,952 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 374,442 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $111,488,000 after buying an additional 139,223 shares in the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $7,269,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 88.2% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,490 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,074,000 after buying an additional 4,916 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,205.1% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 38,423 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $11,440,000 after buying an additional 35,479 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of Air Products and Chemicals 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,282,177.60. The trade was a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD traded up $2.61 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $294.43. 1,027,910 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,580,974. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $227.53 and a twelve month high of $341.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.50 billion, a price-to-earnings 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. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $312.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $308.34.

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 (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 expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. 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 41.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on APD. Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $350.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. StockNews.com downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $320.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $342.65.

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.