Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lessened its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 44,887 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 858 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $12,958,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.6% in the third quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,443 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,323,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 20.0% in the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,386 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,008,000 after purchasing an additional 565 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation N.A. lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 19.5% in the third quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 2,947 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $877,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the period. Curi RMB Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 6.6% in the third quarter. Curi RMB Capital LLC now owns 16,017 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $4,769,000 after purchasing an additional 990 shares during the period. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 7,088 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,110,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 14th. Barclays upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their target price for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $342.65.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.9 %

Air Products and Chemicals stock traded up $2.61 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $294.43. The company had a trading volume of 1,027,910 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,580,974. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $227.53 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $312.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $308.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.10, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11.

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 (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, equities 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total transaction of $474,255.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,462 shares of the company's stock, valued at $462,240.54. The trade was a 50.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction of $181,706.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly 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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.