B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Has $3.79 Million Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 13,065 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 748 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $3,789,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of APD. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,742 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $505,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the period. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,028 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $588,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. WR Wealth Planners LLC grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $888,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 974 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $282,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $293.47 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $310.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $309.58. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $227.53 and a 12 month high of $341.14. The company has a market capitalization of $65.29 billion, a PE ratio of 17.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

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%. Analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America downgraded 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. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” 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 assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $340.88.

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.