Nan Fung Trinity HK Ltd. Sells 31,100 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Nan Fung Trinity HK Ltd. cut its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 50.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 30,300 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 31,100 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for about 1.8% of Nan Fung Trinity HK Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Nan Fung Trinity HK Ltd.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $8,788,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,742 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $505,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $888,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc now owns 140 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Chesapeake Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 2,189 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $652,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keyes Stange & Wooten Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Keyes Stange & Wooten Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,560 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $762,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD stock opened at $310.02 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $227.10 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The company has a market cap of $68.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.85. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $308.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $304.66.

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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,008,604.84. This represents a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total value of $474,255.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $462,240.54. This represents a 50.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,911 shares of company stock worth $4,660,897. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on APD. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of 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. StockNews.com lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.