Meridian Wealth Advisors LLC Has $3.85 Million Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Meridian Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 13,256 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 765 shares during the quarter. Meridian Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $3,845,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Banco de Sabadell S.A lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 20.4% during the 4th quarter. Banco de Sabadell S.A now owns 6,496 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,890,000 after buying an additional 1,099 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $21,565,000. Umpqua Bank lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 13.5% during the 4th quarter. Umpqua Bank now owns 7,633 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,351,000 after buying an additional 909 shares during the last quarter. Intellus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $11,884,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 11.2% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 52,503 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $15,228,000 after buying an additional 5,286 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total value of $410,644.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,008,604.84. This trade represents a 28.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $291.35 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $313.19 and its 200 day moving average is $308.45. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $227.53 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.82 billion, a PE ratio of 16.92, 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 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 research analysts forecast 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 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 dividend of $1.79 per share. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.46%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $342.65.

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.