Vest Financial LLC Sells 12,380 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Vest Financial LLC lowered its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 6.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 176,209 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 12,380 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC owned 0.08% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $51,108,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 88.7% in the 3rd quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total value of $993,565.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,282,177.60. The trade was a 23.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 9,749 shares of company stock valued at $3,030,032. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on APD shares. Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Redburn Atlantic raised 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 note on Friday, October 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded 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. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE:APD traded up $0.86 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $310.35. The company had a trading volume of 1,372,777 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,883,267. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $308.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $302.60. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $216.30 and a 52 week high of $341.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The company has a market capitalization of $69.02 billion, a PE ratio of 18.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. 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 41.11%.

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.