Obermeyer Wood Investment Counsel Lllp Sells 56 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Obermeyer Wood Investment Counsel Lllp reduced its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,660 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 56 shares during the quarter. Obermeyer Wood Investment Counsel Lllp’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,002,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Legacy Bridge LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 40.4% during the third quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Artemis Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth $39,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on APD. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $245.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. TheStreet downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $304.00 to $295.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $276.36.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD traded up $4.01 on Thursday, reaching $233.02. 1,302,040 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,746,447. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.58. The firm has a market cap of $51.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.81. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $212.24 and a 52 week high of $307.71. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $235.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $257.98.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by ($0.18). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 18.82% and a return on equity of 16.84%. The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.64 earnings per share. Air Products and Chemicals’s revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 28th. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.04%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently 67.56%.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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.