Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Acquired by Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC

Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 99.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,213 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,595 shares during the quarter. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,512,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Advyzon Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $297,000. Mcdaniel Terry & Co. raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Mcdaniel Terry & Co. now owns 65,321 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $18,946,000 after purchasing an additional 630 shares during the period. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2,025.2% during the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 79,886 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $23,170,000 after purchasing an additional 76,127 shares during the period. Financial Perspectives Inc grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 33.3% in the 4th quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc now owns 140 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Solutions LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $221,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on APD. Citigroup increased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $339.94.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, 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 transaction of $616,896.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 13,411 shares of company stock valued at $4,186,642 in the last three months. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of APD opened at $313.97 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $226.95 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.23, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.85. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $308.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $304.26.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm 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 $1.79 dividend. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently 41.11%.

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.