Wintrust Investments LLC Reduces Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Wintrust Investments LLC cut its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 46.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 208 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 182 shares during the period. Wintrust Investments LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $60,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% in the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on APD shares. StockNews.com cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 target price (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned 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 currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $343.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of APD opened at $292.53 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $312.38 and its 200 day moving average is $307.60. The company has a market capitalization of $65.08 billion, a PE ratio of 16.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $227.53 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. Research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total transaction of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares in the company, valued at $3,282,177.60. This trade represents a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the vice president now owns 719 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $221,811.50. This represents a 45.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 in the last quarter. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.