Linscomb Wealth Inc. Grows Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Linscomb Wealth Inc. boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 18,508 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 382 shares during the quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $5,368,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in APD. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.8% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,028 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $588,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $888,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Financial Perspectives Inc boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc now owns 140 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chesapeake Wealth Management lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.7% during the third quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 2,189 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $652,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD opened at $312.83 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $309.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $305.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market cap of $69.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.17, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. 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) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. Equities analysts forecast 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.29%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 41.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group upped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $339.94.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total value of $410,644.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,008,604.84. The trade was a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total transaction of $474,255.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $462,240.54. This trade represents a 50.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 14,911 shares of company stock valued at $4,660,897. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

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.