Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Has $6.98 Million Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 15.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,054 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 3,210 shares during the quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $6,977,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $888,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 11,593 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,452,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. CX Institutional lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,343 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Bank of Stockton lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 1,813 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $540,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 203 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

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Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $3,282,177.60. This represents a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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. Insiders sold a total of 9,749 shares of company stock worth $3,030,032 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on APD shares. Bank of America downgraded 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 note on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Redburn Atlantic raised Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $330.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 1.6 %

APD stock traded up $4.95 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $315.30. 900,305 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,849,371. The firm's 50-day moving average is $308.56 and its 200-day moving average is $302.65. The company has a market cap of $70.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.31, a PEG ratio of 3.47 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 1.34. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $216.30 and a 12 month high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 earnings per share for the current 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 dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.27%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.11%.

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.