Larson Financial Group LLC Cuts Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Larson Financial Group LLC trimmed its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,274 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 110 shares during the quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $950,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of APD. HM Payson & Co. raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 20,830 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,042,000 after buying an additional 1,320 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 312.5% during the fourth quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 198 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Aviance Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,012,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Oak Hill Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 200.0% in the 4th quarter. Oak Hill Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,914 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $555,000 after purchasing an additional 3,828 shares during the period. Finally, Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 26.9% in the 4th quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 958 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $278,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the business’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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares in the company, valued at approximately $221,811.50. The trade was a 45.03 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total value of $993,565.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,680 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. This represents a 23.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 over the last three months. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD opened at $316.76 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $70.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.39, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The business’s 50 day moving average is $311.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $307.43. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $227.53 and a 52-week high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. Analysts forecast 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 declared 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 represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on APD shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group increased 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Bank of America downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target for the company. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $343.53.

About Air Products and Chemicals

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.