Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Acquired by Prudential Financial Inc.

Prudential Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 43.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 198,232 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 60,333 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. owned about 0.09% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $57,495,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,742 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $505,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the period. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,028 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $588,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% in the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $888,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 974 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $282,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on APD. BMO Capital Markets cut Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group dropped 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 report on Friday, March 14th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $350.00 target price for the company. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $341.47.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD stock traded down $1.55 on Friday, hitting $293.57. The company had a trading volume of 213,455 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,484,018. 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 quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market cap of $65.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $312.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $308.82.

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 (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%. As a group, equities 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. 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 at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, 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 sale, the vice president now directly 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Victoria Brifo sold 2,362 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.82, for a total value of $745,966.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 10,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,172,411.90. The trade was a 19.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. Corporate 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.