U S Wealth Group LLC. Acquires New Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

U S Wealth Group LLC. purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 8,368 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $2,427,000. Air Products and Chemicals makes up approximately 1.8% of U S Wealth Group LLC.'s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,742 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $505,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC raised its stake 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 during the period. WR Wealth Planners LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% in the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% during the fourth 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 during the period. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares in the company, valued at $221,811.50. This trade represents a 45.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD stock traded up $6.84 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $268.88. The company had a trading volume of 1,002,627 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,494,815. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $227.53 and a one year high of $341.14. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $298.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $307.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.61, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted 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 net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. Research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors 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 2.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. 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 (DPR) is currently 41.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on APD shares. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $350.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays cut their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $355.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals 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 issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $338.24.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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.