Bfsg LLC Trims Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Bfsg LLC cut its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,960 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 111 shares during the quarter. Bfsg LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,179,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Legacy Bridge LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Cetera Trust Company N.A acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on APD. Barclays decreased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $245.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $276.36.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE APD traded up $0.97 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $234.68. The stock had a trading volume of 1,293,950 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,732,164. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $212.24 and a fifty-two week high of $307.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.81. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $236.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $256.46. The company has a market cap of $52.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.31, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.00 by ($0.18). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.84% and a net margin of 18.82%. The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.64 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.02%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 28th. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 67.56%.

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.