Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by CENTRAL TRUST Co

CENTRAL TRUST Co decreased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,350 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 309 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $3,052,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of APD. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 14.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $945,000 after buying an additional 412 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 251.8% in the fourth quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 7,737 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,244,000 after buying an additional 5,538 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 25.0% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 3,718 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,178,000 after purchasing an additional 743 shares in the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 20.8% during the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 884 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $277.19 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $272.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $293.39. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.69 and a 12 month high of $341.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.29, a PEG ratio of 5.38 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.83 by ($0.14). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 12.76% and a return on equity of 15.48%. The company had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.85 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.58%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 104.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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 report on Wednesday, April 9th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $290.00 price target for the company. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $332.41.

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.