Stephens Inc. AR Sells 2,990 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Stephens Inc. AR trimmed its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 7.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 34,821 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,990 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $10,099,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 106.3% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,494 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,914,000 after acquiring an additional 6,952 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 374,442 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $111,488,000 after purchasing an additional 139,223 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at $7,269,000. Forsta AP Fonden raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 13.4% in the third 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 boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 88.2% during the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,074,000 after buying an additional 4,916 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APD has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. UBS Group lifted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday. Redburn Atlantic raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 5.3 %

Shares of APD opened at $310.66 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $309.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $301.60. The company has a market cap of $69.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $213.80 and a one year high of $341.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.34.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. 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 presently 41.11%.

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.