Financial Counselors Inc. Cuts Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Financial Counselors Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 49,679 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,194 shares during the quarter. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $14,409,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Florida Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $225,000. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 1,107 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $321,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 721 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $209,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation N.A. lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 46.4% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 4,315 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,252,000 after acquiring an additional 1,368 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cruiser Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,073,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on APD shares. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $341.47.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $295.04 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $65.64 billion, a PE ratio of 17.13, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $227.53 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $312.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $308.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current 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 $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.58%.

Insider Activity

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.