Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Stock Holdings Lessened by OLD Second National Bank of Aurora

OLD Second National Bank of Aurora reduced its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,606 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 165 shares during the quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,535,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $1,668,923,000 after buying an additional 1,115,729 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 4,163,043 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,246,957,000 after purchasing an additional 38,283 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,829,919 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,085,399,000 after purchasing an additional 39,215 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $962,356,000. Finally, Raymond James & Associates raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 1,931,619 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $528,877,000 after buying an additional 66,906 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.6 %

APD traded up $1.42 on Thursday, reaching $230.43. 264,924 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,731,994. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $235.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $257.98. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $212.24 and a 52-week high of $307.71. The company has a market cap of $51.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.86, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.58.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted 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 business had revenue of $3 billion during 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%. Air Products and Chemicals’s revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.64 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.38 EPS 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 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be paid a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 28th. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.07%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 67.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APD has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $305.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $304.00 to $295.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, 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 on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $276.36.

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.