Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.

Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. reduced its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 9.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,667 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 885 shares during the period. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,514,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 15.9% during the fourth quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 10,659 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,092,000 after buying an additional 1,464 shares during the period. Valley National Advisers Inc. boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 9,513 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,759,000 after buying an additional 749 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,478 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $719,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 16,949 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,916,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the period. Finally, Avantra Family Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $231,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on APD. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $295.00 to $364.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Barclays raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $330.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $340.50.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $335.36 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $310.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $299.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.52, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.84. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $212.24 and a 12 month high of $338.00. 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 Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. 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. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently 41.68%.

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.