Guggenheim Capital LLC Sells 8,051 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Guggenheim Capital LLC decreased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 160,334 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 8,051 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLC owned about 0.07% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $46,503,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of APD. Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $210,000. Tribune Investment Group LP acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $10,151,000. LaSalle St. Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. LaSalle St. Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,575 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $456,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 16.3% in the fourth quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,709 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $496,000 after buying an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 227,967 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $66,119,000 after acquiring an additional 12,209 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total value of $410,644.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,008,604.84. This trade represents a 28.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $221,811.50. The trade was a 45.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 1.3 %

APD stock opened at $272.42 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $60.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $296.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $307.49. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $227.53 and a 12 month 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 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%. As a group, equities 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 company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders 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 is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.63%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on APD. UBS Group cut their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of 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 report on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $338.24.

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.