New York State Common Retirement Fund Has $77.90 Million Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

New York State Common Retirement Fund cut its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 268,594 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,100 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.12% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $77,903,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of APD. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.5% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 10,772 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,207,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.5% in the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 5,352 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,593,000 after buying an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 8.4% in the third quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,219 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $959,000 after buying an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 7.2% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,947 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,175,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on APD. StockNews.com downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 target price (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $339.94.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 13,411 shares of company stock worth $4,186,642 over the last ninety days. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $316.89 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $308.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $304.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $225.26 and a 12 month high of $341.14. 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 (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.26%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently 41.11%.

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.