CENTRAL TRUST Co Increases Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 15.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 10,659 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,464 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $3,092,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Valley National Advisers Inc. lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 9,513 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,759,000 after acquiring an additional 749 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,478 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $719,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 16,949 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,916,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Avantra Family Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $231,000. Finally, Spire Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 6.9% in the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 2,257 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $655,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $335.36 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.84. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $310.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $299.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.34. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $212.24 and a 1 year high of $338.00.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on APD shares. Evercore ISI raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $305.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $308.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $295.00 to $364.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Vertical Research raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $336.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $340.50.

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.