Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer Sells 3,233 Shares

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total value of $993,565.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,680 shares in the company, valued at $3,282,177.60. This trade represents a 23.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of APD opened at $310.35 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.02, a PEG 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 1-year low of $216.30 and a 1-year high of $341.14. The company has a 50-day moving average of $308.90 and a 200 day moving average of $302.60.

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 net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. On average, research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 EPS 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 an increase 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 dividend yield of 2.31%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets cut Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $339.94.

Institutional Trading of Air Products and Chemicals

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Air Products and Chemicals

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.