Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Has $330.88 Million Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. lowered its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,140,794 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 14,404 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals comprises 1.7% of Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $330,876,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings 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 worth $30,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% in the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now owns 1,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $462,240.54. This represents a 50.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Victoria Brifo sold 2,362 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.82, for a total value of $745,966.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,172,411.90. This represents a 19.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,911 shares of company stock worth $4,660,897 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 1.8 %

APD opened at $310.31 on Tuesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $227.53 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The company’s 50-day moving average is $310.34 and its 200 day moving average is $306.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.02, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. 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. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 target price on the stock. in a research note 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 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $343.53.

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.