Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by Strengthening Families & Communities LLC

Strengthening Families & Communities LLC cut its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 96.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 321 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 7,840 shares during the quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $93,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 88.7% during the third quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on APD. Barclays upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group raised their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a 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 report on Friday, October 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of APD opened at $310.38 on Tuesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $216.30 and a 1-year high of $341.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $309.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $301.89. The stock has a market cap of $69.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.58%.

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.