Allworth Financial LP Buys 743 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 25.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 3,718 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 743 shares during the quarter. Allworth Financial LP’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,178,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of APD. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the fourth 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 period. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 88.7% in the 3rd quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $316.89 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $308.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $304.19. The company has a market cap of $70.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.85. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $225.26 and a 12-month high of $341.14.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. On average, research analysts expect 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is an increase 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 2.26%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on APD. Bank of America lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $339.94.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total transaction of $410,644.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,008,604.84. This represents a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Victoria Brifo sold 2,362 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.82, for a total transaction of $745,966.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,172,411.90. The trade was a 19.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 13,411 shares of company stock worth $4,186,642. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

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.