Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Acquires 150 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 312.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 198 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 150 shares during the quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $63,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Aviance Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,012,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Oak Hill Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 200.0% in the fourth quarter. Oak Hill Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,914 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $555,000 after buying an additional 3,828 shares during the last quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 26.9% in the fourth quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 958 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $278,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Berkshire Asset Management LLC PA now owns 6,137 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,780,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 16.6% in the fourth quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,831 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $821,000 after buying an additional 404 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $298.41 on Wednesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $227.53 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The stock has a market cap of $66.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.33, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The business’s 50 day moving average is $312.10 and its 200-day moving average is $307.80.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date 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 dividend payout ratio is 41.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets cut Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group boosted their price objective 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. Finally, Barclays raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $343.53.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the 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 $1,008,604.84. The trade was a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals 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.