Baxter Bros Inc. Sells 137 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Baxter Bros Inc. decreased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,591 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 137 shares during the quarter. Baxter Bros Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $6,842,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in APD. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 1,107 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 721 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $209,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 46.4% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 4,315 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,252,000 after acquiring an additional 1,368 shares during the last quarter. Cruiser Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at $1,073,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 11,175 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,241,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on APD. Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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 research note on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Barclays upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, 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 research note on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $342.65.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction of $181,706.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 719 shares in the company, valued at $221,811.50. This trade represents a 45.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction 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 firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 over the last quarter. 0.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $294.06 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.08, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $227.53 and a 52-week high of $341.14. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $313.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $308.84.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted 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 net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.43%. This is an increase 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 payout ratio is 41.58%.

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.