New Mexico Educational Retirement Board Sells 300 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

New Mexico Educational Retirement Board lowered its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,600 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $3,074,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 106.3% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,494 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,914,000 after acquiring an additional 6,952 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 374,442 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $111,488,000 after acquiring an additional 139,223 shares in the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $7,269,000. Forsta AP Fonden boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 13.4% in the third quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 45,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $13,607,000 after acquiring an additional 5,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 88.2% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,074,000 after purchasing an additional 4,916 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $616,896.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 9,749 shares of company stock worth $3,030,032. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD opened at $316.74 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $308.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $303.10. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $220.26 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The company has a market capitalization of $70.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its 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%. On average, analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business 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 $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.26%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 41.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on APD. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Citigroup raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $339.94.

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.