Skba Capital Management LLC Trims Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Skba Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 33,195 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,350 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals comprises approximately 1.5% of Skba Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Skba Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $9,628,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of APD. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% during the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on APD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note 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 objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $341.47.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD opened at $292.34 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $65.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The business’s 50-day moving average is $311.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $309.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $227.53 and a fifty-two week 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 predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 2,362 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.82, for a total value of $745,966.84. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,172,411.90. This trade represents a 19.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals 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.