By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Peterson Wealth Services boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD – Free Report) by 5.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,607 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 362 shares during the period. Peterson Wealth Services’ holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,206,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $555,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 203 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 7.6% during the third quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA now owns 1,592 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $474,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 14.3% in the third quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,480 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,334,000 after purchasing an additional 562 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 674 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $201,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of equities analysts have commented on APD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 target price (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets cut Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $339.94.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on APD
Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance
Shares of APD stock opened at $310.38 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a market cap of $69.02 billion, a PE ratio of 18.02, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $216.30 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $309.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $301.89.
Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. Analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.58%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, VP Sean D. Major sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.46, for a total value of $1,419,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,273 shares in the company, valued at $4,502,560.58. This trade represents a 23.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.
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.
Further Reading
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