159,295 Shares in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Acquired by Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP

Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 159,295 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $46,202,000. Air Products and Chemicals comprises approximately 1.1% of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP owned approximately 0.07% of Air Products and Chemicals as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of APD stock opened at $298.41 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $66.39 billion, a PE ratio of 17.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $312.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $307.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $227.53 and a 12-month high of $341.14.

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Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share 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%. As a group, 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is 41.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barclays raised Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group increased their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $350.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $320.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $343.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 719 shares in the company, valued at approximately $221,811.50. This trade represents a 45.03 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

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.

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