Columbia Asset Management Has $782,000 Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Columbia Asset Management lessened its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 8.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,695 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 240 shares during the period. Columbia Asset Management’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $782,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 12.9% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 9,640 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,870,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares during the period. Concentric Capital Strategies LP boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.1% in the third quarter. Concentric Capital Strategies LP now owns 12,192 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,630,000 after acquiring an additional 4,980 shares during the last quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 25.1% during the 3rd quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 4,364 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,299,000 after purchasing an additional 875 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 242,862 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $72,264,000 after purchasing an additional 15,747 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harmony Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 42.8% in the 3rd quarter. Harmony Asset Management LLC now owns 1,501 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $447,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD opened at $293.47 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $227.53 and a 52 week high of $341.14. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $310.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $309.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. Equities analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Insider Activity

In other Air Products and Chemicals 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 value of $474,255.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of Air Products and Chemicals 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 in the company, valued at $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on APD. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 14th. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $340.88.

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.