Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Insider Sells $616,896.00 in Stock

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,173,204. This trade represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE APD opened at $315.30 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $216.30 and a twelve month high of $341.14. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $308.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $302.65. The firm has a market cap of $70.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85.

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 return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business 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. This is an increase 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 2.27%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 41.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on APD. BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 target price (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $339.94.

Institutional Trading of Air Products and Chemicals

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of APD. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter valued at approximately $555,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 203 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 7.6% in the third quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA now owns 1,592 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $474,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 14.3% in the third quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,480 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,334,000 after purchasing an additional 562 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 11.4% in the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 674 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $201,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.