Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Grows Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 6.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,394,799 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 88,049 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $404,535,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 189.4% during the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 5,423 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,573,000 after buying an additional 3,549 shares in the last quarter. Generation Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,206,000. Capital International Investors bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $436,636,000. Ally Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,465,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $50,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Francesco Maione sold 2,016 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,834 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,173,204. The trade was a 34.46 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 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 $307.32, for a total transaction of $993,565.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,680 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. This trade represents a 23.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604 over the last three months. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $262.88 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.27, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.89. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $228.81 and a 52 week high of $341.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $292.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $306.56.

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

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. 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%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on APD shares. Barclays lowered their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $355.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $370.00 to $335.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $332.18.

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.