Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Holdings Lowered by Tiller Private Wealth Inc.

Tiller Private Wealth Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 57,072 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 3,790 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for about 7.8% of Tiller Private Wealth Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Tiller Private Wealth Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $15,626,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of APD. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $962,356,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 111,211.3% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,640,729 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $505,771,000 after acquiring an additional 1,639,255 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 26.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 5,414,008 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,668,923,000 after acquiring an additional 1,115,729 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 222.0% in the 2nd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 879,406 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $263,407,000 after acquiring an additional 606,280 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,696.4% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 518,197 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $142,344,000 after acquiring an additional 489,350 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock traded up $4.02 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $233.03. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,301,820 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,743,072. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $212.24 and a twelve month high of $307.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.81. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $235.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $257.98.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by ($0.18). The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 18.82% and a return on equity of 16.84%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.64 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Investors of record on Monday, April 1st will be paid a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 28th. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently 67.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APD has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Bank of America raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $264.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $245.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, TheStreet cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $276.36.

About Air Products and Chemicals

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.