Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by PDS Planning Inc

PDS Planning Inc cut its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 9.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 967 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 98 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $265,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Legacy Bridge LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Cetera Trust Company N.A acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.4% in the third quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on APD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $270.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. UBS Group lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $328.00 to $241.00 in a report on Thursday, February 8th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $276.36.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of APD opened at $233.78 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.97 billion, a PE ratio of 22.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.81. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $212.24 and a 1 year high of $307.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.81. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $236.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $256.46.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.00 by ($0.18). The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.84% and a net margin of 18.82%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.64 EPS. Analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.38 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 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 28th. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.56%.

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.