S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC Sells 153 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,789 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 153 shares during the quarter. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,002,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,742 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $505,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,028 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $588,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% during the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $888,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 974 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $282,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $331.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction of $181,706.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 719 shares in the company, valued at $221,811.50. This represents a 45.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $273.20 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $272.24 and a 200 day moving average of $297.77. 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 company has a market capitalization of $60.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.69 and a 52 week high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.14). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.85 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 104.07%.

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.