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

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of Air Products and Chemicals 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 owns 10,680 shares in the company, valued at $3,282,177.60. This represents a 23.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD stock traded down $2.43 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $308.13. The company had a trading volume of 528,758 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,873,077. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $309.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $302.26. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $216.30 and a one year high of $341.14.

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 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%. Equities analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. 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 yield of 2.32%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on APD. Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group boosted 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. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $339.94.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter valued at $555,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased 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 period. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 7.6% in the third quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA now owns 1,592 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $474,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 14.3% in the third quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,480 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,334,000 after purchasing an additional 562 shares during the period. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 11.4% in the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 674 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $201,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.