Anchor Capital Advisors LLC Sells 2,649 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC decreased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,646 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,649 shares during the period. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $15,559,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its position 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 worth $30,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value 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. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,173,204. This represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 14,911 shares of company stock worth $4,660,897. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on APD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued 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, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.3 %

APD stock opened at $312.83 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $227.53 and a one year high of $341.14. The stock has a market cap of $69.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $309.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $305.45. 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 (NYSE:APD) last announced its 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 return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. Equities analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.29%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.11%.

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.