Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by Tiller Private Wealth Inc.

Tiller Private Wealth Inc. lowered its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 57,072 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 3,790 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for approximately 7.8% of Tiller Private Wealth Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Tiller Private Wealth Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $15,626,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Legacy Bridge LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.4% in the 3rd quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Artemis Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on APD shares. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Barclays decreased their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $245.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. UBS Group lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $328.00 to $241.00 in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $305.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $276.36.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 1.8 %

Air Products and Chemicals stock traded up $4.02 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $233.03. The company had a trading volume of 1,301,820 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,743,072. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $235.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $257.98. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $212.24 and a 12 month high of $307.71. The company has a market capitalization of $51.80 billion, a PE ratio of 21.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.00 by ($0.18). The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 18.82% and a return on equity of 16.84%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.64 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 28th. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.56%.

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.