Dover Advisors LLC Has $1.11 Million Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Dover Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 7.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,822 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 318 shares during the quarter. Dover Advisors LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,109,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of APD. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the subject of several analyst reports. 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 research note on Friday, January 31st. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $339.94.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at $1,173,204. This trade represents a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total transaction of $474,255.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,462 shares in the company, valued at $462,240.54. The trade was a 50.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 14,911 shares of company stock valued at $4,660,897. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.4 %

APD opened at $310.02 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $308.50 and its 200-day moving average is $304.85. The company has a market cap of $68.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.00, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $227.10 and a 1-year high of $341.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.11%.

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.