Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC Buys 218 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,519 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 218 shares during the quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,601,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. First National Trust Co grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. First National Trust Co now owns 7,042 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,042,000 after buying an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 6,635 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,924,000 after buying an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $12,609,000. Impact Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at $818,000. Finally, CFO4Life Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 1,022 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $297,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $292.53 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $227.53 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The company has a market capitalization of $65.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.99, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $312.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $307.60. 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 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%. On average, equities 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 firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.45%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,680 shares in the company, valued at $3,282,177.60. This trade represents a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,173,204. This trade represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 in the last ninety days. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $343.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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.