Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) VP Sells $181,706.50 in Stock

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $221,811.50. This represents a 45.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock traded down $0.78 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $310.80. 297,095 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,638,484. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $227.53 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14. The stock has a market cap of $69.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.12, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $310.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $306.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its 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 return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. On average, research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This is an increase 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 2.30%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group upped their price target on 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. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $343.53.

Institutional Trading of Air Products and Chemicals

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of APD. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 11.7% during the 4th quarter. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV now owns 1,456 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $422,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $367,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,812,000. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 14,065 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,079,000 after buying an additional 498 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $622,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

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.