Simmons Bank Sells 79 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Simmons Bank lessened its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 18,465 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 79 shares during the quarter. Simmons Bank’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $5,356,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in the fourth 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 bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on APD shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 target price (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $317.51 on Wednesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $227.53 and a 1-year high of $341.14. The firm has a market cap of $70.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.44, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $308.81 and a 200-day moving average of $305.34.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. This is a boost 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 41.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now owns 1,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $462,240.54. The trade was a 50.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 14,911 shares of company stock worth $4,660,897. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

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.