Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by WealthPLAN Partners LLC

WealthPLAN Partners LLC decreased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 6.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,045 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 885 shares during the quarter. WealthPLAN Partners LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $3,783,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the fourth 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. CX Institutional lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.6% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,343 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Stockton boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% in the third 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 period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Chesapeake Wealth Management raised its position 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 valued at $652,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.0 %

APD traded down $0.11 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $316.89. The company had a trading volume of 971,548 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,782,339. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $225.26 and a 52 week high of $341.14. The stock has a market cap of $70.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.40, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.85. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $308.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $304.10.

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 the consensus estimate 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.11%.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,173,204. This trade represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Victoria Brifo sold 2,362 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.82, for a total value of $745,966.84. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 10,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,172,411.90. This represents a 19.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 13,411 shares of company stock valued at $4,186,642. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on APD shares. Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $350.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets cut Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays raised Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.