American Century Companies Inc. Has $15.23 Million Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 11.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 52,503 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,286 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc.'s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $15,228,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at $885,371,000. Sachem Head Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter valued at about $163,013,000. TOMS Capital Investment Management LP bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth approximately $159,886,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $71,307,000. Finally, Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,202,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total transaction of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. This represents a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business'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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 valued at $4,842,604 over the last three months. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 7.0 %

Shares of NYSE:APD traded down $19.85 during trading on Friday, hitting $263.35. 1,762,347 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,485,409. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $308.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $309.24. The firm has a market cap of $58.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.29, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. 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.

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 EPS 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%. Equities 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 company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. 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 yield of 2.72%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. StockNews.com downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Bank of America cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $350.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $340.88.

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.