Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by TIAA Trust National Association

TIAA Trust National Association trimmed its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,430 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 504 shares during the quarter. TIAA Trust National Association’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $4,475,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of APD. Cruiser Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth about $1,073,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 11,175 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,241,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,728 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $537,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Finally, Haverford Trust Co boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 416,726 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $120,867,000 after purchasing an additional 1,258 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of APD stock opened at $295.04 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $65.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.13, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $312.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $308.91. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $227.53 and a twelve month high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm 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. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $221,811.50. This represents a 45.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” 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 increased their price objective for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 14th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $341.47.

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.