Blackhawk Capital Partners LLC. Sells 244 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Blackhawk Capital Partners LLC. decreased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 6.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,678 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 244 shares during the period. Blackhawk Capital Partners LLC.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,067,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mengis Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 21.9% in the fourth quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,788 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $809,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 27,754 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $8,050,000 after acquiring an additional 1,480 shares in the last quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 41.9% during the 4th quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,094 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $317,000 after acquiring an additional 323 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,615 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,049,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Conscious Wealth Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Conscious Wealth Investments LLC now owns 10,822 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,439,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Citigroup raised their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $339.94.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 2,362 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.82, for a total transaction of $745,966.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,045 shares in the company, valued at $3,172,411.90. The trade was a 19.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,911 shares of company stock worth $4,660,897 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $309.17 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $227.53 and a twelve month high of $341.14. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $308.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $305.06. The company has a market cap of $68.78 billion, a PE ratio of 17.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. 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. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.11%.

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.