Harrington Investments INC Trims Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Harrington Investments INC reduced its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 271 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals comprises approximately 1.5% of Harrington Investments INC’s holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Harrington Investments INC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,813,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,443 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,323,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 20.0% in the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,386 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,008,000 after purchasing an additional 565 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation N.A. raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 19.5% during the third quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 2,947 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $877,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the period. Curi RMB Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Curi RMB Capital LLC now owns 16,017 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,769,000 after purchasing an additional 990 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 7,088 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,110,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note 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 target price for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $342.65.

Insider Activity

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,173,204. This represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $291.82 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $227.53 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market cap of $64.92 billion, a PE ratio of 16.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $312.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $307.69.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its earnings results 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 net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. This is a positive change 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 2.45%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.58%.

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.