Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by Wealth Advisory Solutions LLC

Wealth Advisory Solutions LLC lessened its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 12.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 26,674 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 3,744 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals comprises approximately 2.1% of Wealth Advisory Solutions LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Wealth Advisory Solutions LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $7,867,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 14.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $945,000 after purchasing an additional 412 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $246,000. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 312.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 198 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 87,634 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,417,000 after purchasing an additional 5,119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 18,232 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $5,288,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 30th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $330.00 to $282.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $355.00 price objective on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD traded down $1.98 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $292.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,042,263 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,361,929. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market cap of $65.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.46, a PEG ratio of 5.60 and a beta of 0.85. The business's fifty day moving average is $278.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $290.22.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.48% and a net margin of 12.76%. The company's revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.85 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.45%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.