Blair William & Co. IL Acquires 1,208 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Blair William & Co. IL increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 103,125 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 1,208 shares during the quarter. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $29,910,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. NEOS Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 28.9% during the fourth quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 11,080 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,194,000 after buying an additional 2,484 shares in the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 25.6% during the fourth quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 15,969 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,632,000 after purchasing an additional 3,251 shares during the period. Moment Partners LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $331,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 374,808 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $106,412,000 after purchasing an additional 29,843 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Korea Investment CORP lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 71.8% during the 4th quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 144,102 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $41,795,000 after buying an additional 60,202 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $221,811.50. This represents a 45.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This represents a 23.97 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock valued at $4,842,604 in the last three months. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $295.40 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $312.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $308.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. 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 released its quarterly 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.42%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets lowered 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 lowered their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 14th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $341.47.

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.