Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) VP Sells $745,966.84 in Stock

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) VP Victoria Brifo sold 2,362 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.82, for a total value of $745,966.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 10,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,172,411.90. This represents a 19.04 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD stock opened at $310.02 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $308.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $304.48. 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 $68.97 billion, a PE ratio of 18.00, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $227.10 and a 1-year high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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%. As a group, research 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 announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis 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 payout ratio is currently 41.11%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,485,176 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,231,560,000 after buying an additional 207,404 shares during the last quarter. Dodge & Cox grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 6,663,154 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,932,581,000 after purchasing an additional 64,960 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 129.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,429,147 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,574,670,000 after purchasing an additional 3,062,157 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,931,661 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,430,354,000 after purchasing an additional 57,314 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mantle Ridge LP acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,191,344,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on APD shares. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed 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. StockNews.com cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.