Investors Research Corp Sells 75 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Investors Research Corp reduced its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,247 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 75 shares during the quarter. Investors Research Corp’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,232,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Morton Community Bank boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Morton Community Bank now owns 9,883 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,866,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 12.6% in the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 5,702 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,654,000 after purchasing an additional 636 shares during the last quarter. Meriwether Wealth & Planning LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $376,000. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 18,232 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,288,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 6.2% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 87,634 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,417,000 after purchasing an additional 5,119 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 719 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $221,811.50. The trade was a 45.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,173,204. This trade represents a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 in the last quarter. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD stock opened at $316.76 on Monday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $227.53 and a 12 month high of $341.14. The stock has a market cap of $70.47 billion, a PE ratio of 18.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $311.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $307.43.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. On average, equities analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders 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 2.26%. 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 payout ratio is currently 41.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. 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 on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $343.53.

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.