Quotient Wealth Partners LLC Decreases Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Quotient Wealth Partners LLC cut its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 14.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,297 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 224 shares during the quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $376,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. now owns 51,156 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $14,837,000 after buying an additional 304 shares during the period. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 16,929 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,910,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 87.7% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,637 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,066,000 after acquiring an additional 4,970 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 21,485 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,232,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,508 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,208,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 5.3 %

APD stock opened at $310.66 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $69.09 billion, a PE ratio of 18.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.11. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $213.80 and a one year high of $341.14. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $309.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $301.60.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 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, analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on APD shares. Redburn Atlantic raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.