Marble Harbor Investment Counsel LLC Has $4.40 Million Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Marble Harbor Investment Counsel LLC decreased its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,160 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 190 shares during the period. Marble Harbor Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $4,397,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $87,000. HM Payson & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 20,830 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,042,000 after acquiring an additional 1,320 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 312.5% in the 4th quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 198 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,012,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Oak Hill Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 200.0% during the 4th quarter. Oak Hill Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,914 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $555,000 after purchasing an additional 3,828 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on APD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup boosted their target price 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. Barclays raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $343.53.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total value of $410,644.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,008,604.84. This trade represents a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 in the last ninety days. 0.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 1.9 %

APD opened at $316.76 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $311.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $306.98. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $227.53 and a 1-year high of $341.14. The stock has a market cap of $70.47 billion, a PE ratio of 18.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 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%. As a group, research analysts expect 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.58%.

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.