1,131 Shares in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Bought by GWN Securities Inc.

GWN Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,131 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $328,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of APD. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $885,371,000. Sachem Head Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter worth about $163,013,000. TOMS Capital Investment Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $159,886,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $71,307,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 25.2% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,165,733 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $350,139,000 after purchasing an additional 234,322 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD stock traded down $1.58 during trading on Friday, reaching $291.35. 2,875,077 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,419,714. The firm has a market cap of $64.82 billion, a PE ratio of 16.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $227.53 and a 1-year high of $341.14. The company's fifty day moving average price is $313.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $308.14.

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Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its 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, research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.46%. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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 value of $1,419,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % 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 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on APD. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on 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. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Barclays upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $350.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $342.65.

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.