Walter L. Nelson Sells 589 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Stock

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 45.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD stock opened at $310.86 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $227.53 and a 12 month high of $341.14. 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 $69.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $311.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $306.68.

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%. On average, research analysts anticipate 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 2.30%. 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%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Air Products and Chemicals

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $132,000. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 11.7% during the fourth quarter. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV now owns 1,456 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $422,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $367,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $37,812,000. Finally, Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 14,065 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,079,000 after purchasing an additional 498 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of 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. Bank of America cut shares of 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 note on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $343.53.

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.