Vest Financial LLC Has $51.11 Million Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Vest Financial LLC reduced its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 6.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 176,209 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 12,380 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $51,108,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $888,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.3% in the third quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 11,593 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,452,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. CX Institutional grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.6% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,343 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $400,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Stockton raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% during the third quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 1,813 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $540,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 203 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday. Barclays raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price 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 set a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

NYSE APD opened at $310.66 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $69.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $213.80 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $310.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $300.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 31.64% and a return on equity of 16.34%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.76 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. 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 is currently 41.21%.

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.