Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Acquired by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 21,485,176 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 207,404 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 9.66% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $6,231,560,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 719 shares in the company, valued at approximately $221,811.50. The trade was a 45.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through 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 sale, the insider now owns 3,834 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,173,204. This trade represents a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.9 %

NYSE APD traded down $2.79 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $292.34. The company had a trading volume of 604,690 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,485,700. The firm's 50 day moving average is $311.68 and its 200 day moving average is $308.95. 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 fifty-two week low of $227.53 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14. The company has a market capitalization of $65.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted its 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $320.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $341.47.

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.