Vident Advisory LLC Has $1.52 Million Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Vident Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 24.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,245 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,029 shares during the quarter. Vident Advisory LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,521,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Mantle Ridge LP bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $1,191,344,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $919,721,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 129.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,429,147 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,574,670,000 after acquiring an additional 3,062,157 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $885,371,000. Finally, Capital International Investors bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $436,636,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction of $181,706.50. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 719 shares in the company, valued at $221,811.50. This represents a 45.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APD has been the topic of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $330.38.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD traded up $0.09 on Wednesday, reaching $274.65. The company had a trading volume of 244,797 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,439,689. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.69 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14. The stock has a market cap of $61.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.95, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. The company's fifty day moving average is $273.04 and its 200 day moving average is $298.23. 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 (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.14). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. The company had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.85 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.61%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 104.07%.

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.