Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Stock Position Raised by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 0.2% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,397,274 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 2,475 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $412,019,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 129.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,429,147 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,574,670,000 after purchasing an additional 3,062,157 shares in the last quarter. Mantle Ridge LP purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $1,191,344,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,583,156 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,039,259,000 after purchasing an additional 156,419 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,397,210 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $695,287,000 after purchasing an additional 34,676 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 159.2% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,725,762 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $508,962,000 after acquiring an additional 1,059,970 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD opened at $290.53 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.52 and a beta of 0.81. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $287.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $288.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.69 and a 12-month high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.10. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 12.86%. The company had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.95 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.20 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on APD. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $290.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $335.07.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total transaction of $397,344.42. Following the sale, the vice president owned 8,686 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,539,612.68. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

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.