Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by D.A. Davidson & CO.

D.A. Davidson & CO. trimmed its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 8.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,428 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 1,416 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.'s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $4,475,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $888,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Stockton increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 1,813 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $540,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 203 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 2,189 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $652,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keyes Stange & Wooten Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Keyes Stange & Wooten Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,560 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $762,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Barclays upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and set 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $339.94.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total transaction of $410,644.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,193 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,008,604.84. This trade represents a 28.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 14,911 shares of company stock valued at $4,660,897 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE APD traded down $4.35 during trading on Friday, reaching $309.93. The company had a trading volume of 593,488 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,725,751. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $308.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $304.26. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $227.10 and a twelve 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. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.95 billion, a PE ratio of 18.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.31%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.11%.

About Air Products and Chemicals

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.