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

Dover Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 7.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. 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 SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of APD. ING Groep NV raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 240.7% during the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,023,433 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $304,717,000 after purchasing an additional 723,019 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 318.7% in the third quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 948,723 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $282,473,000 after buying an additional 722,132 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,685.4% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 764,489 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $249,698,000 after acquiring an additional 721,671 shares during the last quarter. Sachem Head Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth $163,013,000. Finally, TOMS Capital Investment Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter valued at $159,886,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 1.4 %

NYSE:APD opened at $310.02 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $68.97 billion, a PE ratio of 18.00, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $308.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $304.85. 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 $227.10 and a 52-week high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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, sell-side analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal 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 paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.31%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on APD. StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $339.94.

Insider Activity

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total transaction of $410,644.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,008,604.84. This represents a 28.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total transaction of $993,565.56. Following the completion of 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 14,911 shares of company stock worth $4,660,897 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

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.