Dearborn Partners LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Dearborn Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,877 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 277 shares during the period. Dearborn Partners LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $8,375,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Fiera Capital Corp bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $223,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter valued at $908,000. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,985 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $591,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 53,174 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $15,832,000 after purchasing an additional 5,374 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter valued at about $225,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets cut Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $343.53.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at $1,173,204. This trade represents a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 three months, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

NYSE APD opened at $303.83 on Tuesday. 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 business’s fifty day moving average is $311.93 and its 200 day moving average is $307.64. The company has a market capitalization of $67.59 billion, a PE ratio of 17.64, a price-to-earnings-growth 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.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $1.79 per share. 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 2.36%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.58%.

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.