Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by Louisiana State Employees Retirement System

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System decreased its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APDFree Report) by 4.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 12,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 500 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $3,480,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of APD. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 203 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.6% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,343 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.1% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 71,202 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $21,200,000 after purchasing an additional 2,131 shares during the last quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter valued at $200,000. Finally, Carderock Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 5.5% in the third quarter. Carderock Capital Management Inc. now owns 25,699 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $7,652,000 after acquiring an additional 1,331 shares in the last quarter. 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 $315.30 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $308.56 and its 200-day moving average is $302.65. The company has a market cap of $70.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.34. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $216.30 and a 12 month high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APDGet Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. Equities analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.27%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.11%.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total value of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. This trade represents a 23.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,749 shares of company stock worth $3,030,032 in the last three months. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on APD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America downgraded 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 report on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $339.94.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on APD

Air Products and Chemicals Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

See Also

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD)

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