Kesler Norman & Wride LLC Has $5.67 Million Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Kesler Norman & Wride LLC boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,555 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 498 shares during the quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $5,672,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,206 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,220,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $722,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,931,661 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,430,354,000 after buying an additional 57,314 shares during the last quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 4,516 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,398,000 after buying an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG now owns 13,065 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,789,000 after acquiring an additional 748 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD stock opened at $293.47 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $310.71 and a 200-day moving average of $309.58. The company has a market cap of $65.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $227.53 and a 52 week high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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%. On average, equities 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.44%. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 719 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $221,811.50. This trade represents a 45.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total transaction of $474,255.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $462,240.54. The trade was a 50.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on APD shares. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $340.88.

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.