Stonebridge Financial Group LLC Buys Shares of 12,838 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in 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 & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 12,838 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $3,724,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth $555,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 203 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 7.6% during the third quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA now owns 1,592 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $474,000 after buying an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 14.3% during the third quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,480 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,334,000 after buying an additional 562 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 11.4% during the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 674 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $201,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

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Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD traded up $1.58 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $316.74. 1,171,412 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,826,774. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a 50-day moving average of $308.42 and a 200 day moving average of $302.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, 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 $220.26 and a 1-year high of $341.14.

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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. Research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. 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. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.26%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $330.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $339.94.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total value of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares in the company, valued at $3,282,177.60. This trade represents a 23.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total value of $616,896.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,173,204. This represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 9,749 shares of company stock valued at $3,030,032 over the last three months. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Air Products and Chemicals

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.