Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA Has $1.32 Million Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA decreased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 27.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,533 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,717 shares during the quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,315,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of APD. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 88.7% in the third quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $315.30 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $308.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $302.65. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $216.30 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The firm has a market cap of $70.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. 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 (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. Analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 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. This is a positive change 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 2.27%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.11%.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 9,749 shares of company stock worth $3,030,032 over the last three months. 0.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on APD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 target price (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. 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 for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $339.94.

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.