Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA decreased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 38.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,690,341 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,046,634 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $490,267,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,742 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $505,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,028 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $588,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% during the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $888,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 974 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $282,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total value of $474,255.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $462,240.54. This trade represents a 50.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total transaction of $410,644.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,008,604.84. This trade represents a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD opened at $295.05 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $310.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $309.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.64 billion, a PE ratio of 17.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $227.53 and a 12-month high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 EPS 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%. 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 company also recently disclosed 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 is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 target price (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $340.88.

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.