F M Investments LLC Lowers Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

F M Investments LLC decreased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 34.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 17,896 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 9,463 shares during the quarter. F M Investments LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $5,190,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CenterBook Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth about $296,000. DRW Securities LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $479,000. APG Asset Management N.V. purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,892,000. Advisory Services Network LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 11,516 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,340,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nixon Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,141,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 2.6 %

NYSE APD traded down $7.13 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $265.45. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,121,815 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,490,549. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $227.53 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14. The company has a market cap of $59.06 billion, a PE ratio of 15.42, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $296.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $307.49.

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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 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%. On average, equities 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 company also recently declared 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 is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.70%. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is currently 41.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $355.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $332.18.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals 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 value of $993,565.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,680 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. This represents a 23.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 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 value of $410,644.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,193 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,008,604.84. The trade was a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.