Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC reduced its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,390 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 382 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,943,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in APD. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 8.4% in the 3rd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,219 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $959,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 32,553 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $9,692,000 after purchasing an additional 1,800 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 9,195 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,738,000 after purchasing an additional 747 shares during the last quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. now owns 2,469 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $735,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,793 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,725,000 after purchasing an additional 647 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total value of $474,255.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,462 shares in the company, valued at $462,240.54. This trade represents a 50.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 14,911 shares of company stock worth $4,660,897. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD opened at $310.02 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $308.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $304.48. The stock has a market cap of $68.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.00, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 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 0.96. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $227.10 and a 1-year high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is 41.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed 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. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised 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 note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. One 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.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals 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.