Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Acquired by Ashton Thomas Securities LLC

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,175 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 326 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for 0.9% of Ashton Thomas Securities LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $3,241,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 91.7% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,384 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,008,000 after buying an additional 1,619 shares during the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 24.8% during the 3rd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 1,182 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $352,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 11.3% in the 3rd quarter. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC now owns 2,670 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $795,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Hawaii raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Hawaii now owns 4,574 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,362,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.5% during the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 17,430 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,190,000 after purchasing an additional 5,024 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.8 %

APD opened at $294.06 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $65.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $227.53 and a 12 month high of $341.14. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $313.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $308.84.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. As a group, research analysts predict 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 announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group cut their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 14th. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $342.65.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares in the company, valued at approximately $221,811.50. This trade represents a 45.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.