Nan Fung Trinity HK Ltd. Sells 31,100 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Nan Fung Trinity HK Ltd. trimmed its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 50.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 30,300 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 31,100 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for 1.8% of Nan Fung Trinity HK Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Nan Fung Trinity HK Ltd.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $8,788,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of APD. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,742 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $505,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Redmond Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at $653,000. Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc. increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc. now owns 3,495 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,014,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Stockton raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 2,011 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $583,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PYA Waltman Capital LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. PYA Waltman Capital LLC now owns 3,577 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,038,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In related 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 shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total transaction of $410,644.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,008,604.84. This trade represents a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 14,911 shares of company stock worth $4,660,897 over the last three months. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of APD opened at $310.02 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.00, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a 50-day moving average of $308.50 and a 200 day moving average of $304.66. 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 quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (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%. On average, research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 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 paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on APD shares. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 target price (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company 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.