Commerce Bank Has $12.28 Million Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Commerce Bank trimmed its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 5.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 42,338 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,357 shares during the quarter. Commerce Bank’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $12,280,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays reduced their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $355.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. BMO Capital Markets cut Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, 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 research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $332.18.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of APD opened at $262.88 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $292.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $306.44. The company has a market cap of $58.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.27, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $228.81 and a one year high of $341.14. 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 (NYSE:APD) last announced 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 return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. Research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.72%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 41.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 in the last three months. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.