ICW Investment Advisors LLC Has $1.46 Million Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

ICW Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,028 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 133 shares during the quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,458,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total transaction of $410,644.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at $1,008,604.84. This represents a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the 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 sale, the insider now owns 1,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $462,240.54. This trade represents a 50.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.5 %

APD stock opened at $291.35 on Monday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $227.53 and a 1-year high of $341.14. The firm has a market cap of $64.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The business’s 50 day moving average is $313.19 and its 200-day moving average is $308.69. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. Equities analysts anticipate 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.46%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is 41.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $342.65.

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.