Cypress Capital Group Has $1.91 Million Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Cypress Capital Group cut its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 12.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,585 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 953 shares during the quarter. Cypress Capital Group’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,910,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of APD. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% in the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $305.21 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $310.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $306.62. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $227.53 and a one year high of $341.14. The firm has a market cap of $67.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS 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 issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. 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 2.35%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is 41.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on APD. StockNews.com cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $343.53.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total transaction of $474,255.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,462 shares in the company, valued at $462,240.54. This represents a 50.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $616,896.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,173,204. This represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 14,911 shares of company stock valued at $4,660,897. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.