Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by Norden Group LLC

Norden Group LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,985 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 122 shares during the period. Norden Group LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $576,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% in the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 2,362 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.82, for a total value of $745,966.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,172,411.90. This trade represents a 19.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 14,911 shares of company stock worth $4,660,897. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $310.31 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.02, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $227.53 and a 1-year high of $341.14. 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 company has a 50 day moving average price of $310.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $306.41.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its earnings results 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on APD. Barclays upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $343.53.

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.