Markel Group Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Markel Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 24.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 64,500 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,500 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc.'s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $18,708,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Fiera Capital Corp purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter valued at $223,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth about $908,000. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,985 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $591,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 11.2% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 53,174 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $15,832,000 after acquiring an additional 5,374 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $225,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly 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 document filed 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 that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was 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 in the company, 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 valued at $4,842,604 over the last three months. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.5 %

Air Products and Chemicals stock traded down $1.35 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $293.30. 240,662 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,598,545. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $227.53 and a twelve month high of $341.14. The company has a fifty day moving average of $312.19 and a 200-day moving average of $307.71. 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 $65.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.02, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85.

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

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid 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 2.44%. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Bank of America cut 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. 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. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $343.53.

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.