Rothschild Investment LLC Acquires Shares of 610 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 610 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $157,000.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Sachetta LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Security National Bank bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Thompson Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in 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 worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on APD shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $310.00 to $280.00 in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $240.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America increased their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $275.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $291.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $297.40.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $275.19 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The business has a 50-day moving average of $267.73 and a 200-day moving average of $255.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.84, a PEG ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.81. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $212.24 and a fifty-two week high of $307.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly 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. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 21.24%. The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.04 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be given a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.