First Command Advisory Services Inc. Sells 32 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

First Command Advisory Services Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,622 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 32 shares during the period. First Command Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $470,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of APD. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $71,307,000. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 62,152 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $18,027,000 after purchasing an additional 3,581 shares during the last quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at $393,000. FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co now owns 1,273 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $369,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New York Life Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 33,046 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $9,585,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,173,204. This trade represents a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,911 shares of company stock worth $4,660,897. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APD has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group upped 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. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued 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 report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of APD opened at $313.79 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $309.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $305.39. 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 current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market cap of $69.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings results 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently 41.11%.

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.