Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc. Decreases Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 9,626 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 69 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for approximately 0.9% of Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,792,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,874,347 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,448,570,000 after purchasing an additional 88,806 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,088,449 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $605,734,000 after acquiring an additional 30,888 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,867,290 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $555,967,000 after purchasing an additional 70,759 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,633,381 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $486,343,000 after acquiring an additional 19,209 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,249,142 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $371,920,000 after purchasing an additional 14,077 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total transaction of $410,644.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at $1,008,604.84. This trade represents a 28.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Victoria Brifo sold 2,362 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.82, for a total value of $745,966.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 10,045 shares in the company, valued at $3,172,411.90. This represents a 19.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 14,911 shares of company stock valued at $4,660,897. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on APD. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 target price (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 target price for the company. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 2.6 %

Shares of APD stock opened at $317.51 on Wednesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $227.53 and a twelve month high of $341.14. The stock has a market cap of $70.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.44, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $308.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $305.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities 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 firm 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 dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. 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 currently 41.11%.

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.