Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Insider Wilbur Mok Sells 1,300 Shares

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total value of $410,644.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at $1,008,604.84. This trade represents a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock traded down $2.21 on Wednesday, hitting $314.79. 182,175 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,756,728. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $308.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $304.10. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $225.26 and a 1-year high of $341.14. 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 (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently 41.11%.

Institutional Trading of Air Products and Chemicals

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group increased their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus 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.