Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC Has $24.79 Million Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 4.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 85,483 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,990 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $24,794,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of APD. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,874,347 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,448,570,000 after purchasing an additional 88,806 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,088,449 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $605,734,000 after buying an additional 30,888 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.9% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,867,290 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $555,967,000 after acquiring an additional 70,759 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,633,381 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $486,343,000 after acquiring an additional 19,209 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,249,142 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $371,920,000 after purchasing an additional 14,077 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the business'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 transaction of $1,419,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. The trade was a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total transaction of $410,644.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,008,604.84. This represents a 28.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,911 shares of company stock worth $4,660,897 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 1.8 %

NYSE:APD traded up $5.57 on Wednesday, hitting $310.92. 1,605,818 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,654,566. The company has a market cap of $69.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $310.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $306.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $227.53 and a 52 week high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APD has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Citigroup lifted their price target 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to 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.