Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Stock Holdings Decreased by Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC

Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC lessened its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 78.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 4,300 shares during the period. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $348,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 10,772 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,207,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 8.4% in the 3rd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,219 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $959,000 after buying an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 32,553 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $9,692,000 after buying an additional 1,800 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 8.8% during the 3rd quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 9,195 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,738,000 after acquiring an additional 747 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grimes & Company Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 9.2% during the third quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. now owns 2,469 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $735,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $310.02 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $68.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.85. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $308.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $304.48. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $227.10 and a twelve month high of $341.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued 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 return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. As a group, research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 41.11%.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total transaction of $410,644.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at $1,008,604.84. This represents a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total value of $474,255.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $462,240.54. The trade was a 50.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 14,911 shares of company stock valued at $4,660,897. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on APD shares. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Barclays raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated 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, February 7th. UBS Group raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $339.94.

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.