Kesler Norman & Wride LLC Has $5.67 Million Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Kesler Norman & Wride LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 19,555 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 498 shares during the period. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $5,672,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 12.9% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 9,640 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,870,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Concentric Capital Strategies LP raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 69.1% during the third quarter. Concentric Capital Strategies LP now owns 12,192 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,630,000 after acquiring an additional 4,980 shares during the period. Hilltop Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 25.1% in the 3rd quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 4,364 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,299,000 after acquiring an additional 875 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 242,862 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $72,264,000 after purchasing an additional 15,747 shares during the period. Finally, Harmony Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 42.8% during the 3rd quarter. Harmony Asset Management LLC now owns 1,501 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $447,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,173,204. This represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APD has been the subject of several recent research reports. BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on 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. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $355.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup reduced their target price 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, March 25th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $340.88.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.5 %

APD opened at $293.47 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $310.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $309.58. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $227.53 and a 1-year high of $341.14. The stock has a market cap of $65.29 billion, a PE ratio of 17.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data 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, research analysts expect 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.