Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc. Has $1.01 Million Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 6.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,495 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 225 shares during the quarter. Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,014,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of APD. Bank of Stockton raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 2,011 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $583,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. PYA Waltman Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. PYA Waltman Capital LLC now owns 3,577 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,038,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Compass Capital Corp MA ADV acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $322,000. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $2,216,000. Finally, Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 99.1% during the 4th quarter. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 5,213 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,512,000 after acquiring an additional 2,595 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.4 %

APD opened at $310.02 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $308.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $304.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.00, a PEG ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $227.10 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This is a positive change 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 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 41.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $339.94.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,173,204. This represents a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,911 shares of company stock worth $4,660,897 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

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.