Quantum Private Wealth LLC Trims Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Quantum Private Wealth LLC trimmed its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 31.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,823 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 827 shares during the quarter. Quantum Private Wealth LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $529,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of APD. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 88.7% during the third quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on APD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $330.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays raised Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:APD traded down $0.11 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $316.89. 971,548 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,782,339. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $225.26 and a 52-week high of $341.14. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $308.39 and a 200 day moving average of $304.10. 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 market cap of $70.50 billion, a PE ratio of 18.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company 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 $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $616,896.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,834 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,173,204. This represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, 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 13,411 shares of company stock valued at $4,186,642 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

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.