Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Holdings Lifted by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 6.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 222,397 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,946 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC owned approximately 0.10% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $53,880,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 25.4% in the 3rd quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 28,070 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $7,955,000 after acquiring an additional 5,681 shares during the period. Vinva Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $314,000. Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,113,000. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 102,380 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $29,014,000 after acquiring an additional 2,273 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 65.9% in the 3rd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 15,049 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,265,000 after acquiring an additional 5,980 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $279.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $276.00 to $294.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $270.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 21st. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $275.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $287.29.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $262.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.49. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $258.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $251.91. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $212.24 and a twelve month high of $307.71. The firm has a market cap of $58.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.84.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $2.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.70 by $0.15. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 20.32% and a return on equity of 16.56%. The firm had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.74 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 1st will be paid a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.70%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.90%.

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.