Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 300 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. reduced its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 8.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,205 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 300 shares during the quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $930,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 106.3% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,494 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,914,000 after buying an additional 6,952 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 374,442 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $111,488,000 after buying an additional 139,223 shares during the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,269,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 88.2% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,074,000 after buying an additional 4,916 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,205.1% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 38,423 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $11,440,000 after purchasing an additional 35,479 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.9 %

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $294.43 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $65.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.10, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $313.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $308.24. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $227.53 and a 12 month high of $341.14. 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 earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. Equities analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 719 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $221,811.50. The trade was a 45.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $342.65.

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.