Briaud Financial Planning Inc Cuts Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Briaud Financial Planning Inc decreased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 14.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,541 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 425 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for approximately 0.3% of Briaud Financial Planning Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Briaud Financial Planning Inc’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $737,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Fiera Capital Corp bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $223,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $908,000. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,985 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $591,000 after buying an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 11.2% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 53,174 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $15,832,000 after purchasing an additional 5,374 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter valued at approximately $225,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total value of $474,255.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $462,240.54. This represents a 50.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares in the company, valued at approximately $221,811.50. This represents a 45.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on APD shares. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on 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. Bank of America downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $343.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD stock opened at $303.83 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $67.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.64, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The business’s fifty day moving average is $311.93 and its 200 day moving average is $307.64. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $227.53 and a twelve month high of $341.14. 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 (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. Research analysts expect 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.58%.

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.