Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC Purchases 49 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 7.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 721 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $209,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.0% during the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 16,844 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,015,000 after purchasing an additional 498 shares during the last quarter. Avestar Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 8.0% in the third quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,068 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $318,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 14.8% in the third quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,469 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $437,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth about $285,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 719 shares in the company, valued at $221,811.50. This represents a 45.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through 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 sale, the insider now owns 1,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $462,240.54. The trade was a 50.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Barclays raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 14th. 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 given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $341.47.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $295.40 on Friday. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market cap of $65.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $312.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $308.82.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced 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 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. Analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 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 issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. 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.