Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA Has $13.69 Million Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 47,213 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals comprises 0.9% of Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest position. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $13,694,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of APD. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 106.3% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,494 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,914,000 after acquiring an additional 6,952 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 374,442 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $111,488,000 after acquiring an additional 139,223 shares during the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $7,269,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 88.2% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,074,000 after buying an additional 4,916 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jensen Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 65.0% during the third quarter. Jensen Investment Management Inc. now owns 13,170 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,921,000 after purchasing an additional 5,190 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The sale 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 the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total transaction of $474,255.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $462,240.54. This trade represents a 50.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,911 shares of company stock valued at $4,660,897 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD stock opened at $316.55 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.38, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $310.00 and its 200 day moving average is $305.74. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $227.53 and a 12 month high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its 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 return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.26%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of 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. Finally, 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 report on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $339.94.

About Air Products and Chemicals

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.