Zions Bancorporation N.A. Has $1.25 Million Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Zions Bancorporation N.A. increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 46.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,315 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,368 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation N.A.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,252,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cruiser Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at $1,073,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 11,175 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,241,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the period. Modern Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,728 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $537,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $230,000. Finally, Haverford Trust Co lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 416,726 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $120,867,000 after purchasing an additional 1,258 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $293.57 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $65.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.05, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $312.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $309.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $227.53 and a twelve month high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. Research 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 company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APD has been the topic of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of 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. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 target price (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” 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 assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $341.47.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total value of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,282,177.60. This represents a 23.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

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.