Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Acquired by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 6.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,394,799 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 88,049 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.63% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $404,535,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Chelsea Counsel Co. boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% in the third quarter. Chelsea Counsel Co. now owns 3,377 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,005,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Tudor Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth $1,654,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 35.5% during the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 2,930 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $872,000 after acquiring an additional 768 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,205.1% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 38,423 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $11,440,000 after acquiring an additional 35,479 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 286.7% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 21,299 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $6,342,000 after purchasing an additional 15,791 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock traded up $4.12 during trading on Thursday, reaching $268.86. The company's stock had a trading volume of 813,572 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,486,899. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $289.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $305.94. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $228.81 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14. The firm has a market cap of $59.81 billion, a PE ratio of 15.61, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. 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 posted 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%. On average, analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $320.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of 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. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $332.18.

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.