Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA Sells 1,717 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA lowered its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 27.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,533 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,717 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,315,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 88.7% in the third quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 1.6 %

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $315.30 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $308.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $302.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $216.30 and a twelve month high of $341.14. The company has a market capitalization of $70.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) 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 return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This is a boost 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 2.27%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 41.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Redburn Atlantic raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $339.94.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,749 shares of company stock valued at $3,030,032 over the last three months. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by 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.