Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. Grows Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 245,585 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 911 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for approximately 1.1% of Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. owned approximately 0.11% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $71,229,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,742 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $505,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,028 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $588,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. WR Wealth Planners LLC increased 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. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $888,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 974 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $282,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on APD shares. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Bank of America downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $350.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets cut Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $342.65.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.5 %

APD stock traded down $1.58 during trading on Friday, hitting $291.35. 2,875,078 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,419,714. The company has a 50-day moving average of $313.22 and a 200-day moving average of $308.14. 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 1 year low of $227.53 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.82 billion, a PE ratio of 16.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. Analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.46%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.58%.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares of the company's stock, valued at $221,811.50. This represents a 45.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

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.