Trust Co. of Vermont Sells 2,568 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Trust Co. of Vermont decreased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 5.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 45,331 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 2,568 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $13,369,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% during the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $44,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 525.9% in the 4th quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $50,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on APD shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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 note on Wednesday, April 9th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Barclays dropped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $332.41.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD stock traded down $0.32 during trading on Friday, reaching $282.68. 2,433,303 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,392,701. The firm's 50-day moving average is $274.08 and its 200 day moving average is $291.29. The company has a market capitalization of $62.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.09, a PEG ratio of 5.41 and a beta of 0.86. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.69 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.14). The business had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 12.76% and a return on equity of 15.48%. The company's revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.85 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is presently 104.07%.

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.