Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by Harrington Investments INC

Harrington Investments INC trimmed its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 9,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 271 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals makes up 1.5% of Harrington Investments INC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Harrington Investments INC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,813,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC now owns 5,519 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,601,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the period. First National Trust Co grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. First National Trust Co now owns 7,042 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,042,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 6,635 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,924,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $12,609,000. Finally, Impact Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $818,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 in the last 90 days. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD stock opened at $291.82 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $64.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.95, a P/E/G 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. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $312.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $307.69. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $227.53 and a 52 week high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. Research analysts anticipate 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 firm 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. 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 2.45%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 41.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $342.65.

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.