Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Position Reduced by ERTS Wealth Advisors LLC

ERTS Wealth Advisors LLC reduced its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 11.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 973 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 127 shares during the period. ERTS Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $282,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 374,442 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $111,488,000 after buying an additional 139,223 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 13.4% in the 3rd quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 45,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $13,607,000 after acquiring an additional 5,400 shares in the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $7,269,000. Jensen Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 65.0% in the third quarter. Jensen Investment Management Inc. now owns 13,170 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,921,000 after purchasing an additional 5,190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,205.1% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 38,423 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $11,440,000 after purchasing an additional 35,479 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $319.62 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The company has a market cap of $71.08 billion, a PE ratio of 18.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $309.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $295.61. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $212.24 and a fifty-two week high of $337.00.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on APD. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $305.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Redburn Atlantic raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $308.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, November 18th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $332.71.

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.