Intrust Bank NA Grows Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Intrust Bank NA boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 3.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,910 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the quarter. Intrust Bank NA’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $844,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% during the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $341.47.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total value of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. The trade was a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.9 %

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $292.34 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $227.53 and a 12 month high of $341.14. The company has a market capitalization of $65.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $311.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $309.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued 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 yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

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.