Strengthening Families & Communities LLC Sells 7,840 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Strengthening Families & Communities LLC lowered its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 96.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 321 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 7,840 shares during the period. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $93,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 88.7% during the third quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

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Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD stock traded up $1.58 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $316.74. The stock had a trading volume of 1,171,412 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,826,774. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $220.26 and a 12 month high of $341.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.47 billion, a PE ratio of 18.39, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $308.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $302.74.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, equities research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. 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 yield of 2.26%. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total transaction of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,680 shares in the company, valued at $3,282,177.60. This represents a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 9,749 shares of company stock worth $3,030,032 over the last three months. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $330.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Barclays upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. 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 for the company. in a report on Monday, January 27th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $339.94.

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.