Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Stock Holdings Trimmed by Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc.

Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. decreased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 3.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 28,008 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,121 shares during the quarter. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $8,123,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings 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. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD stock opened at $293.57 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $65.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $312.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $309.01. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $227.53 and a 52 week high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted 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%. Research analysts anticipate 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total transaction of $474,255.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $462,240.54. This represents a 50.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on APD. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised 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 report on Friday, January 31st. One 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $341.47.

Air Products and Chemicals Profile

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.