Harfst & Associates Inc. Sells 166 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Harfst & Associates Inc. decreased its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 13.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,043 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 166 shares during the period. Harfst & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $308,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 9,874 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,912,000 after buying an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 3,560.0% in the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 183 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 12.3% in the 1st quarter. National Pension Service now owns 528,830 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $155,963,000 after buying an additional 58,077 shares during the last quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 72.1% in the 1st quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 1,332 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $393,000 after buying an additional 558 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter worth about $231,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $294.23 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $287.09 and a 200 day moving average of $288.89. The company has a market cap of $65.48 billion, a PE ratio of 42.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.46 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.69 and a 12-month high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $3.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 12.86%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.20 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 103.02%.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total transaction of $397,344.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 8,686 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,539,612.68. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on APD shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $290.00 target price for the company. Mizuho boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $335.07.

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.