Taikang Asset Management Hong Kong Co Ltd Has $6.30 Million Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Taikang Asset Management Hong Kong Co Ltd reduced its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 27.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,726 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 8,148 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals comprises approximately 0.9% of Taikang Asset Management Hong Kong Co Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 29th largest position. Taikang Asset Management Hong Kong Co Ltd's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $6,301,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Haverford Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 416,726 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $120,867,000 after buying an additional 1,258 shares in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 43.8% during the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 198,232 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $57,495,000 after acquiring an additional 60,333 shares in the last quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. ICW Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,028 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,458,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Twin City Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Twin City Private Wealth LLC now owns 7,936 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,302,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total value of $474,255.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,462 shares in the company, valued at approximately $462,240.54. This represents a 50.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the vice president now owns 719 shares in the company, valued at approximately $221,811.50. This trade represents a 45.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 over the last three months. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on APD. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 14th. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $341.47.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

APD traded down $2.79 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $292.34. The company had a trading volume of 604,690 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,485,700. 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 market capitalization of $65.04 billion, a PE ratio of 16.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. 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 firm's 50-day simple moving average is $311.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $309.19.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities research analysts predict 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. 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 2.45%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.