J. W. Coons Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

J. W. Coons Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 3.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,009 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 79 shares during the period. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $583,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on APD shares. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Bank of America cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $339.94.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total transaction of $410,644.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,008,604.84. This trade represents a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,911 shares of company stock worth $4,660,897. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $310.02 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $68.97 billion, a PE ratio of 18.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.85. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $308.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $304.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $227.10 and a 1 year high of $341.14.

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 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%. Equities analysts forecast 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 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 represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is 41.58%.

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.