Dillon & Associates Inc. Sells 109 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Dillon & Associates Inc. lessened its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 0.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 57,661 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 109 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals makes up about 2.5% of Dillon & Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Dillon & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $17,010,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in APD. Dodge & Cox grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 6,663,154 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,932,581,000 after purchasing an additional 64,960 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 129.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,429,147 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,574,670,000 after buying an additional 3,062,157 shares during the last quarter. Mantle Ridge LP bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $1,191,344,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,583,156 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,039,259,000 after acquiring an additional 156,419 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,397,210 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $695,287,000 after acquiring an additional 34,676 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total value of $397,344.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 8,686 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,539,612.68. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD stock opened at $288.55 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $64.22 billion, a PE ratio of 41.52, a P/E/G ratio of 6.44 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The business has a 50 day moving average of $286.59 and a 200-day moving average of $289.17. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.69 and a 12-month high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.10. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 12.86%. The firm had revenue of $3.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.95 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.20 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays cut their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $335.07.

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.