Marks Group Wealth Management Inc Sells 1,230 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Marks Group Wealth Management Inc trimmed its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 30,766 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,230 shares during the period. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $8,923,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of APD. Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich now owns 779 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $225,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Jmac Enterprises LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Jmac Enterprises LLC now owns 6,838 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,983,000 after acquiring an additional 729 shares during the period. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. now owns 5,485 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,591,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,780 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,386,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Finally, Peterson Wealth Services raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 7,607 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,206,000 after purchasing an additional 362 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total value of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. This trade represents a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 9,749 shares of company stock worth $3,030,032. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on APD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $309.50 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $309.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $302.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.97, a P/E/G ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $216.30 and a 1 year high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. This is a positive change 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 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.11%.

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.