Mendel Money Management Has $4.78 Million Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Mendel Money Management decreased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 16,479 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 392 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for about 2.1% of Mendel Money Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Mendel Money Management’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $4,780,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total value 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. This represents a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 over the last three months. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $293.57 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $312.75 and a 200 day moving average of $309.01. 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 current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $227.53 and a 12 month high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. 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. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is 41.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on APD. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, 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 note on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $341.47.

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.