Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO Sells 1,475 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO decreased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 23.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,800 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,475 shares during the quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,416,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $505,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,028 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $588,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $888,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 974 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $282,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Thursday. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $290.00 price target for the company. Citigroup lowered their target price on 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of 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. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $331.00.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD stock opened at $273.20 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $272.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $297.77. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.69 and a 52-week high of $341.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.87, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88.

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

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated 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 $221,811.50. The trade was 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 the SEC website. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.