Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by Dean Investment Associates LLC

Dean Investment Associates LLC lowered its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,768 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 216 shares during the period. Dean Investment Associates LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $4,863,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $919,721,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $885,371,000. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,615.5% in the fourth quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 530,005 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $153,723,000 after purchasing an additional 499,110 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $71,307,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,485,176 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,231,560,000 after buying an additional 207,404 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on APD. Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $332.18.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total transaction of $993,565.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,680 shares in the company, valued at $3,282,177.60. The trade was a 23.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

NYSE APD opened at $261.47 on Thursday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $227.76 and a 12 month high of $341.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.17 billion, a PE ratio of 15.18, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $294.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $306.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.74%. 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 41.58%.

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.