S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC Raises Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 103.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,323 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,203 shares during the quarter. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,047,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Vinva Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter valued at $314,000. Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter worth about $1,113,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 65.9% in the third 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. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 61.6% in the third quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 59,463 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $16,852,000 after acquiring an additional 22,661 shares during the period. Finally, Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter worth about $376,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD traded down $5.02 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $258.05. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,606,874 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,045,374. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.49 and a quick ratio of 1.31. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $212.24 and a fifty-two week high of $307.71. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $259.73 and its 200-day moving average is $251.94. The firm has a market cap of $57.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.84.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $2.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.70 by $0.15. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 20.32%. The business had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.74 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 1st will be given a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 1st. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.74%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.90%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $240.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $287.29.

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.