Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Buys 132,639 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 56.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 367,858 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 132,639 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC owned about 0.17% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $106,694,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Centaurus Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 21.7% during the 4th quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 1,438 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $417,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $132,000. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 11.7% in the 4th quarter. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV now owns 1,456 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $422,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $367,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $37,812,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the business'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 value of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 719 shares in the company, valued at $221,811.50. The trade was a 45.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock traded up $5.82 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $278.99. 2,872,928 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,448,278. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $271.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $297.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market cap of $62.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.20, 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.

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 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 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 prior year, the firm posted $2.85 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.57%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 104.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on APD. BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup lowered 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 research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Bank of America downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $331.00.

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.