Dodge & Cox Purchases 64,960 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Dodge & Cox increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,663,154 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 64,960 shares during the period. Dodge & Cox owned 3.00% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $1,932,581,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of APD. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 106.3% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,494 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,914,000 after purchasing an additional 6,952 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 374,442 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $111,488,000 after buying an additional 139,223 shares during the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $7,269,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 88.2% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,490 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,074,000 after acquiring an additional 4,916 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC grew 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 worth $11,440,000 after acquiring an additional 35,479 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $355.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. StockNews.com lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Bank of America downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.18.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

APD stock traded up $1.56 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $262.88. 2,233,284 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,490,532. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a market cap of $58.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.27, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $292.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $306.56. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $228.81 and a 1-year high of $341.14.

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 (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 anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors 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 represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.72%. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, 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 value of $1,419,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 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 $307.32, for a total transaction of $993,565.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. This represents a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

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.