Sentry Investment Management LLC Sells 149 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Sentry Investment Management LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 14.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 915 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 149 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $265,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.5% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 10,772 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,207,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,793 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,725,000 after purchasing an additional 647 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 28.6% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 16,888 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,072,000 after buying an additional 3,757 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 25,834 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $7,691,000 after buying an additional 1,660 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 67,201 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $20,008,000 after buying an additional 3,259 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of APD opened at $317.51 on Wednesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $227.53 and a 12-month high of $341.14. 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 company has a market capitalization of $70.64 billion, a PE ratio of 18.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The business’s 50 day moving average is $308.81 and its 200 day moving average is $305.34.

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 the consensus estimate 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 expect 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is 41.11%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total transaction of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,680 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. This represents a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,911 shares of company stock worth $4,660,897 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective 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. Bank of America lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $339.94.

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.