LaFleur & Godfrey LLC Decreases Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

LaFleur & Godfrey LLC trimmed its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,519 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 111 shares during the quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $4,025,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Thompson Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2,250.0% in the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 141 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,700.0% in the second quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 144 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 104.3% during the first quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management now owns 188 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on APD shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $310.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Mizuho increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $308.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $320.24.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of APD stock traded up $3.47 on Wednesday, reaching $326.70. 730,068 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,626,411. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $212.24 and a twelve month high of $328.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The company has a market capitalization of $72.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.53, a PEG ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.82. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $286.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $267.02.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.04 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 21.24%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.