Wealth Alliance Has $779,000 Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Wealth Alliance lessened its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 4.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,685 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 124 shares during the quarter. Wealth Alliance’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $779,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 106.3% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,494 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,914,000 after purchasing an additional 6,952 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 374,442 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $111,488,000 after purchasing an additional 139,223 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $7,269,000. Forsta AP Fonden raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 13.4% in the 3rd quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 45,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $13,607,000 after purchasing an additional 5,400 shares during the period. Finally, Diversify Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 88.2% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,074,000 after purchasing an additional 4,916 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $313.97 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $226.95 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The stock has a market cap of $69.85 billion, a PE ratio of 18.23, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.85. The business has a 50 day moving average of $308.55 and a 200-day moving average of $304.26. 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 data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 41.11%.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 2,362 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.82, for a total value of $745,966.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total transaction of $410,644.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,008,604.84. The trade was a 28.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,411 shares of company stock worth $4,186,642 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup lifted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $339.94.

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.