Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Holdings Reduced by J. W. Coons Advisors LLC

J. W. Coons Advisors LLC decreased its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 3.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,009 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 79 shares during the period. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $583,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Conscious Wealth Investments LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Conscious Wealth Investments LLC now owns 10,822 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,439,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth about $994,000. BCGM Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. BCGM Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,453 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,001,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,315 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $381,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthspire Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 66.7% in the fourth quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 1,980 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $574,000 after acquiring an additional 792 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 14,911 shares of company stock worth $4,660,897. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $310.02 on Monday. 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 company has a market cap of $68.97 billion, a PE ratio of 18.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $227.10 and a 52 week high of $341.14. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $308.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $304.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly 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%. As a group, research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date 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 41.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on APD. 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 objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals 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 objective for the company. in a report on Monday, January 27th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $339.94.

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.