Melissa N. Schaeffer Sells 3,233 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Stock

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total transaction of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,680 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. The trade was a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE APD traded down $2.43 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $308.13. 528,758 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,873,077. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $216.30 and a 52 week high of $341.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.52 billion, a PE ratio of 17.89, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $309.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $302.26.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 41.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Bank of America lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $339.94.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of APD. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter valued at about $555,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 203 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 7.6% in the third quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA now owns 1,592 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $474,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 14.3% in the third quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,480 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,334,000 after purchasing an additional 562 shares during the period. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 11.4% in the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 674 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $201,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

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.