Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY Lowers Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY reduced its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 370,665 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 8,236 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for 1.8% of Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY's portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY owned approximately 0.17% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $107,508,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of APD. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% during the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD stock traded up $1.44 on Thursday, hitting $273.20. 1,291,731 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,446,012. The firm has a market cap of $60.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.87, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.69 and a 52 week high of $341.14. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $272.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $298.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm 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 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.85 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.62%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is currently 104.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on APD shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $320.00 target price (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $331.00.

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.