Creative Planning Raises Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Creative Planning grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 3.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 69,071 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 2,433 shares during the period. Creative Planning’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $17,824,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Security National Bank purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Thompson Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2,250.0% during the 1st 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 during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $297.74 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.87, a PEG ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.82. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $278.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $261.96. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $212.24 and a 52-week high of $302.03.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.20 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.04 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 63.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $275.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. UBS Group upped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $276.00 to $281.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $291.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $310.00 to $280.00 in a report on Monday, July 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $296.50.

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.