USS Investment Management Ltd Sells 7,171 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

USS Investment Management Ltd trimmed its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 13.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 45,873 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 7,171 shares during the period. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $13,310,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of APD. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC grew its stake 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 in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 719 shares in the company, valued at $221,811.50. This trade represents a 45.03% 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on APD shares. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $330.38.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of APD stock traded up $0.79 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $270.03. 527,583 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,445,421. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.69 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's 50-day moving average price is $273.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $298.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.14). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.85 earnings per share. Air Products and Chemicals's revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.65%. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is 104.07%.

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.