West Oak Capital LLC Sells 245 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

West Oak Capital LLC lessened its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,635 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 245 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals makes up approximately 1.1% of West Oak Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. West Oak Capital LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,842,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% in the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Financial Perspectives Inc boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 33.3% in the fourth quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc now owns 140 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.1%

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $282.25 on Thursday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.69 and a 1-year high of $341.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $270.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $295.16.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.14). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. The business had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.85 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 104.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $290.00 price objective for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $331.00.

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.