Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by Midland Wealth Advisors LLC

Midland Wealth Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 13.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 933 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 151 shares during the quarter. Midland Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $271,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $885,371,000. ING Groep NV grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 240.7% during the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,023,433 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $304,717,000 after buying an additional 723,019 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 318.7% during the third quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 948,723 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $282,473,000 after buying an additional 722,132 shares during the last quarter. Sachem Head Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth about $163,013,000. Finally, TOMS Capital Investment Management LP purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $159,886,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on APD shares. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group boosted their price target 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. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $343.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total transaction of $474,255.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,462 shares in the company, valued at $462,240.54. This represents a 50.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total transaction of $993,565.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. This trade represents a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 in the last quarter. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 4.0 %

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $303.83 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $311.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $307.64. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $227.53 and a twelve month high of $341.14. The stock has a market cap of $67.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. Equities research analysts forecast 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 company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. 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 2.36%. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 41.58%.

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.