Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 72,018 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 374 shares during the quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $20,888,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $888,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 11,593 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,452,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. CX Institutional boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.6% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,343 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $400,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Stockton grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% in the third quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 1,813 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $540,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 203 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD stock opened at $310.66 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.08, a PEG ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $213.80 and a one year high of $341.14. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $309.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $301.29.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its 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 return on equity of 16.34% and a net margin of 31.64%. Equities analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.76 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. 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 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on APD shares. Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of 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. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday. Barclays raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average 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.