Mariner LLC Acquires 12,209 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Mariner LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 5.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 227,967 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,209 shares during the period. Mariner LLC owned about 0.10% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $66,119,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of APD. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,485,176 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $6,231,560,000 after purchasing an additional 207,404 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,931,661 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,430,354,000 after acquiring an additional 57,314 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $919,721,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $885,371,000. Finally, FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,315,245 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $671,514,000 after purchasing an additional 98,346 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on APD. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and set a $320.00 target price (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets cut Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.18.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,193 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,008,604.84. This trade represents a 28.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at $1,173,204. This trade represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 in the last 90 days. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.6 %

APD stock traded up $1.56 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $262.88. 2,233,284 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,490,532. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $292.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $306.70. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $228.81 and a one year high of $341.14. The company has a market cap of $58.48 billion, a PE ratio of 15.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 is 41.58%.

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.