Francesco Maione Sells 2,016 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Stock

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.3 %

APD stock opened at $310.35 on Thursday. 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 market cap of $69.02 billion, a PE ratio of 18.02, a P/E/G ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $216.30 and a 12 month high of $341.14. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $308.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $302.60.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 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%. Equities research 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 paid a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.11%.

Institutional Trading of Air Products and Chemicals

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. DF Dent & Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $419,000. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $25,367,000. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 41.1% during the 4th quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,024 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,167,000 after purchasing an additional 1,172 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 41,289 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $11,975,000 after purchasing an additional 2,866 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westpac Banking Corp boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 132.4% in the fourth quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 1,369 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $397,000 after buying an additional 780 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Citigroup raised their target price 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. Barclays upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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.