Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Purchased by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 243,505 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 2,239 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned 0.11% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $70,626,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in APD. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 31 shares during the period. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 worth $588,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in 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 position in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 974 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $282,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

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Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock traded up $1.33 on Tuesday, hitting $260.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 242,431 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,478,630. The company has a market capitalization of $57.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $227.53 and a 52-week high of $341.14. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $306.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $309.19. 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 (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) 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, equities research analysts expect 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 business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.75%. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is 41.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets cut Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $355.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $340.88.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the business's 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 owns 719 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $221,811.50. The trade was a 45.03 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares in the company, 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. Insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 over the last three months. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals 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.