Wellington Management Group LLP Purchases 2,352 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 36.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,775 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,352 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,545,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted 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 last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APD has been the topic of several analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $355.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. StockNews.com lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.18.

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Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 2.6 %

APD stock traded down $7.13 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $265.45. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,305,256 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,491,277. The company's fifty day moving average price is $296.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $307.49. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.42, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.70%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 14,273 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals 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.