Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by Principal Securities Inc.

Principal Securities Inc. cut its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 6.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,271 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 1,141 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.'s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $4,719,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% during 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 lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 1,813 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $540,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 203 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 2,189 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $652,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keyes Stange & Wooten Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% during 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 purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total value of $410,644.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at $1,008,604.84. The trade was a 28.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Victoria Brifo sold 2,362 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president now owns 10,045 shares in the company, valued at $3,172,411.90. This represents a 19.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 13,411 shares of company stock worth $4,186,642 over the last quarter. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.0 %

Air Products and Chemicals stock traded down $3.08 during trading on Thursday, reaching $313.97. 1,073,494 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,760,860. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $226.95 and a 52-week high of $341.14. The company has a market capitalization of $69.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.23, a PEG ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.85. 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 stock's 50 day simple moving average is $308.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $304.19.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 research analysts expect 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.28%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is currently 41.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $330.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently 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.