Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS Sells 1,125 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lessened its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 47,271 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 1,125 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $13,710,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of APD. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 719 shares in the company, valued at approximately $221,811.50. This trade represents a 45.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

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Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.0 %

NYSE APD traded up $0.12 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $293.57. The company's stock had a trading volume of 790,963 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,413,535. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $313.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $308.84. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $227.53 and a 1-year high of $341.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.31 billion, a PE ratio of 17.05, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. 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 - Get Free Report) last released 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 forecast 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 firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.44%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APD has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $320.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays raised Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One equities 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $341.47.

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.