Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Bought by Grandfield & Dodd LLC

Grandfield & Dodd LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 112,122 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,903 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for about 2.0% of Grandfield & Dodd LLC's holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Grandfield & Dodd LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $32,520,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% in the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APD has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays raised Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $343.53.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total transaction of $474,255.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,462 shares of the company's stock, valued at $462,240.54. This represents a 50.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 14,911 shares of company stock valued at $4,660,897 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD stock traded up $6.35 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $311.70. 2,285,916 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,671,229. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $227.53 and a 1 year 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 has a market capitalization of $69.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.10, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The firm's 50-day moving average is $310.83 and its 200 day moving average is $306.65.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm 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 is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.58%.

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.