Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC Sells 38,371 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC decreased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 41.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 55,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 38,371 shares during the period. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $16,010,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 106.3% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,494 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,914,000 after buying an additional 6,952 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 374,442 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $111,488,000 after acquiring an additional 139,223 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,269,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 88.2% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,074,000 after purchasing an additional 4,916 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,205.1% during the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 38,423 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $11,440,000 after purchasing an additional 35,479 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was 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 owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,173,204. This trade represents a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 719 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $221,811.50. This trade represents a 45.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 over the last ninety days. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 7.0 %

Shares of APD stock opened at $263.35 on Friday. 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $308.14 and a 200 day moving average of $309.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.59 billion, a PE ratio of 15.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $227.53 and a 1-year high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is a positive change 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 2.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on APD. Barclays lowered their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $355.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $340.88.

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.