Umpqua Bank Grows Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Umpqua Bank lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 13.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,633 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 909 shares during the period. Umpqua Bank's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,351,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Intellus Advisors LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $11,884,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 11.2% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 52,503 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $15,228,000 after acquiring an additional 5,286 shares during the period. Plancorp LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 19.0% in the 4th quarter. Plancorp LLC now owns 1,337 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $388,000 after buying an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 46.2% during the fourth quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 21,070 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $6,111,000 after purchasing an additional 6,654 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC now owns 3,597 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,043,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $462,240.54. This represents a 50.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 719 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $221,811.50. This trade represents a 45.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE APD traded up $1.88 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $295.04. 788,953 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,411,463. The company's 50-day moving average price is $312.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $308.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.13, a PEG ratio of 3.07 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 0.96. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $227.53 and a 1-year high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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, sell-side analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. 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 payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note 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 target price on the stock. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $341.47.

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.