Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Bought by Haverford Trust Co

Haverford Trust Co raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 416,726 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 1,258 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals comprises approximately 1.2% of Haverford Trust Co's holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. Haverford Trust Co owned approximately 0.19% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $120,867,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,742 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $505,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,028 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $588,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its stake 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 buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $888,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 974 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $282,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total transaction of $474,255.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,462 shares of the company's stock, valued at $462,240.54. This trade represents a 50.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,834 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,173,204. This represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE APD traded down $2.79 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $292.34. The stock had a trading volume of 604,690 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,485,700. The company has a 50 day moving average of $311.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $308.95. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $227.53 and a twelve month high of $341.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market cap of $65.04 billion, a PE ratio of 16.98, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced 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%. Research 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 firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.45%. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $320.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America cut 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. 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 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $341.47.

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.