Moreno Evelyn V Lowers Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Moreno Evelyn V cut its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 48.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 850 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 808 shares during the quarter. Moreno Evelyn V’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $233,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter valued at $376,000. Eos Management L.P. increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. Eos Management L.P. now owns 27,558 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $7,545,000 after buying an additional 5,727 shares in the last quarter. Roffman Miller Associates Inc. PA increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Roffman Miller Associates Inc. PA now owns 65,192 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $17,850,000 after buying an additional 2,285 shares in the last quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth about $1,177,000. Finally, Zenyatta Capital Management LP increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 46.7% in the 4th quarter. Zenyatta Capital Management LP now owns 22,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,024,000 after buying an additional 7,000 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on APD. StockNews.com upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Argus cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Seaport Res Ptn cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $286.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut Air Products and Chemicals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $273.77.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD traded down $1.81 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $262.84. 607,583 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,712,329. The company has a market cap of $58.43 billion, a PE ratio of 23.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.49. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $242.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $251.53. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $212.24 and a 52-week high of $307.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $2.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.70 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 20.32%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.74 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 1st will be given a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 28th. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.90%.

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.