Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Bought by Bank of Stockton

Bank of Stockton raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 10.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,011 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. Bank of Stockton’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $583,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $888,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 33.3% in the fourth quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc now owns 140 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 203 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.7% in the third quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 2,189 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $652,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keyes Stange & Wooten Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% in the third quarter. Keyes Stange & Wooten Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,560 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $762,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 2,362 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was 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 approximately $3,172,411.90. This trade represents a 19.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total value of $410,644.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,008,604.84. This trade represents a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 13,411 shares of company stock worth $4,186,642. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $313.97 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $308.55 and its 200-day moving average is $304.26. The company has a market cap of $69.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $226.95 and a 12 month high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on APD shares. Citigroup upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price 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. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $339.94.

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.