Victoria Brifo Sells 2,362 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Stock

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) VP Victoria Brifo sold 2,362 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.82, for a total value of $745,966.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 10,045 shares in the company, valued at $3,172,411.90. The trade was a 19.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $313.97 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $308.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $304.26. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $226.95 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The company has a market capitalization of $69.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 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 posted its quarterly earnings results 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.28%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is 41.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets cut Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 target price (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $339.94.

Institutional Trading of Air Products and Chemicals

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Mantle Ridge LP purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $1,191,344,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $919,721,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 129.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,429,147 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,574,670,000 after purchasing an additional 3,062,157 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $885,371,000. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 29,954.1% during the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 2,894,211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $861,722,000 after purchasing an additional 2,884,581 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.