Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Bought by SageView Advisory Group LLC

SageView Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 12.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,344 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 590 shares during the quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,550,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Chelsea Counsel Co. grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Chelsea Counsel Co. now owns 3,377 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,005,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Tudor Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter worth $1,654,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 35.5% during the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 2,930 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $872,000 after buying an additional 768 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,205.1% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 38,423 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $11,440,000 after buying an additional 35,479 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 286.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 21,299 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,342,000 after acquiring an additional 15,791 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares in the company, valued at $221,811.50. This trade represents a 45.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.00, for a total transaction of $616,896.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,834 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup dropped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Bank of America lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded 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 cut their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $338.24.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

NYSE APD opened at $268.88 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $59.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.61, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $227.53 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. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $298.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $307.68.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly 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%. On average, sell-side 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.66%. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.58%.

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.