42,164 Shares in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Purchased by SVB Wealth LLC

SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 42,164 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $12,229,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,874,347 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,448,570,000 after buying an additional 88,806 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,088,449 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $605,734,000 after acquiring an additional 30,888 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,867,290 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $555,967,000 after purchasing an additional 70,759 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,633,381 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $486,343,000 after buying an additional 19,209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,249,142 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $371,920,000 after purchasing an additional 14,077 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total value of $410,644.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at $1,008,604.84. The trade was a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of 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 14,911 shares of company stock worth $4,660,897 over the last three months. 0.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on APD shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $350.00 price target for the company. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $343.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE APD traded down $5.23 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $305.42. The company had a trading volume of 1,079,853 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,640,834. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $227.53 and a one year high of $341.14. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $310.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $306.41. 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 $67.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.72, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 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, research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.34%. 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 41.58%.

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.