Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI Purchases 38 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,992 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $891,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of APD. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.2% during the second quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 3,062,859 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $790,371,000 after acquiring an additional 122,676 shares during the period. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 29,954.1% during the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 2,894,211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $861,722,000 after purchasing an additional 2,884,581 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 127.3% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,792,470 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $720,597,000 after purchasing an additional 1,564,169 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 2,043,099 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $608,312,000 after purchasing an additional 33,313 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.3% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,034,818 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $525,085,000 after buying an additional 5,140 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on APD shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $295.00 to $364.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Vertical Research raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $336.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, October 7th. Barclays boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, UBS Group raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, November 18th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $331.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD stock opened at $331.83 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $310.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $282.67. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $212.24 and a 52-week high of $332.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.13%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.21%.

Air Products and Chemicals Company Profile

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.