Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by Tower Wealth Partners Inc.

Tower Wealth Partners Inc. cut its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 22.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 691 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 201 shares during the quarter. Tower Wealth Partners Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $200,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its position in 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 worth $30,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% during the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $316.76 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $311.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $307.43. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $227.53 and a 52 week high of $341.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.39, a PEG 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 (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate 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 dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.26%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 41.58%.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 719 shares in the company, valued at $221,811.50. The trade was a 45.03 % 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 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on APD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America cut shares of 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. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $343.53.

Air Products and Chemicals 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.