FineMark National Bank & Trust Has $1.74 Million Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

FineMark National Bank & Trust lowered its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,013 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 332 shares during the period. FineMark National Bank & Trust’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,744,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of APD. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 11,175 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,241,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,728 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $537,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $230,000. Haverford Trust Co raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 416,726 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $120,867,000 after acquiring an additional 1,258 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 43.8% during the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 198,232 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $57,495,000 after purchasing an additional 60,333 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on APD. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. 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 research report on Friday, February 7th. 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. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $341.47.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD opened at $293.57 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $312.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $309.01. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $227.53 and a 52-week high of $341.14. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $65.31 billion, a PE ratio of 17.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.44%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.58%.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 719 shares in the company, valued at $221,811.50. This trade represents a 45.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, 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 directly owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.