Independent Advisor Alliance Has $1.65 Million Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Independent Advisor Alliance increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 12.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,702 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 636 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,654,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.6% during the third quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,443 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,323,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 20.0% in the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,386 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,008,000 after purchasing an additional 565 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 19.5% during the 3rd quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 2,947 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $877,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the period. Curi RMB Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 6.6% during the third quarter. Curi RMB Capital LLC now owns 16,017 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,769,000 after buying an additional 990 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 7,088 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,110,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD opened at $291.82 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $227.53 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $312.54 and a 200-day moving average of $307.69.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.45%. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on APD shares. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 target price (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $342.65.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares in the company, valued at approximately $221,811.50. The trade was a 45.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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.