Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC Has $1.39 Million Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 15.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,778 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 889 shares during the period. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,386,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 29,954.1% in the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 2,894,211 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $861,722,000 after purchasing an additional 2,884,581 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 240.7% in the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,023,433 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $304,717,000 after buying an additional 723,019 shares during the period. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 318.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 948,723 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $282,473,000 after buying an additional 722,132 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,685.4% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 764,489 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $249,698,000 after buying an additional 721,671 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 29,957.6% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 718,075 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,138,000,000 after buying an additional 715,686 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $616,896.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,834 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,173,204. This represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 9,749 shares of company stock valued at $3,030,032. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of APD traded up $1.58 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $316.74. The stock had a trading volume of 1,171,412 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,907,431. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $220.26 and a 52 week high of $341.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a market cap of $70.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $308.36 and a 200 day moving average of $303.65.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays raised Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $339.94.

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.