Schroder Investment Management Group Has $7.45 Million Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Schroder Investment Management Group trimmed its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 25,813 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 562 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $7,452,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of APD. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $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. raised 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 valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its holdings 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 valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 2,362 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.82, for a total transaction of $745,966.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 10,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,172,411.90. This represents a 19.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised 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 report on Friday, January 31st. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. UBS Group dropped their price objective 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. Finally, Barclays decreased 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 research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $340.88.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 7.0 %

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $263.35 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $308.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $309.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $227.53 and a 52-week high of $341.14. The firm has a market cap of $58.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.29, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) 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 net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. Equities analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors 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 represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.72%. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.58%.

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.