Buckhead Capital Management LLC Decreases Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Buckhead Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 18,160 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 88 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for approximately 1.7% of Buckhead Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Buckhead Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $5,267,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $888,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 11,593 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,452,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,343 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $400,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Bank of Stockton lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% in the third quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 1,813 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $540,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 203 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 1.6 %

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $315.30 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.11. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $216.30 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14. The stock has a market cap of $70.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.31, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $308.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $302.65.

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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 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. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.27%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently 41.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, 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 the SEC website. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $616,896.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,173,204. This trade represents a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 9,749 shares of company stock valued at $3,030,032 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

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.