Insider Selling: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Insider Sells $474,255.00 in Stock

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total transaction of $474,255.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $462,240.54. This trade represents a 50.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD opened at $310.02 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $308.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $304.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $227.10 and a 52-week high of $341.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.97 billion, a PE ratio of 18.00, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.85.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. 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. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on APD shares. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. 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. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $339.94.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

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.