Empower Advisory Group LLC Has $125.87 Million Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Empower Advisory Group LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 2.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 433,983 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 10,564 shares during the period. Empower Advisory Group LLC owned 0.20% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $125,873,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total value of $410,644.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,193 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,008,604.84. The trade was a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 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 transaction of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at $1,173,204. This represents a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 13,411 shares of company stock valued at $4,186,642. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on APD. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $320.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 1.0 %

NYSE APD traded down $3.08 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $313.97. 1,073,494 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,760,860. The company has a 50 day moving average of $308.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $304.19. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $226.95 and a 12 month high of $341.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.85 billion, a PE ratio of 18.23, a PEG ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted 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 return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. As a group, equities analysts expect 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 disclosed 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. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.11%.

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.