Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Stock Holdings Reduced by Tiller Private Wealth Inc.

Tiller Private Wealth Inc. reduced its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 23.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 31,626 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 9,558 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals makes up about 3.9% of Tiller Private Wealth Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest position. Tiller Private Wealth Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $9,173,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $919,721,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $885,371,000. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,615.5% during the fourth quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 530,005 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $153,723,000 after buying an additional 499,110 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $71,307,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,485,176 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,231,560,000 after acquiring an additional 207,404 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 2.6 %

APD stock opened at $268.88 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $298.09 and a 200 day moving average of $307.63. The firm has a market cap of $59.82 billion, a PE ratio of 15.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $227.53 and a twelve month high of $341.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share 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, research 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.66%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on APD shares. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $355.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 14th. 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 investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $338.24.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $616,896.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,173,204. This trade represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.