Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Stake Boosted by Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC

Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 7.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 721 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $209,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Zions Bancorporation N.A. raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,368 shares in the last quarter. Cruiser Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,073,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 11,175 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,241,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,728 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $537,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $230,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of APD opened at $295.40 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $312.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $308.82. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $227.53 and a 52 week high of $341.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly 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, equities research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 41.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on APD shares. 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. 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 research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $341.47.

Insider Activity

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of Air Products and Chemicals 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,008,604.84. The trade was a 28.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total value of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,680 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. The trade was a 23.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.