Delta Financial Group Inc. Purchases New Shares in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Delta Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 707 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $210,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth about $449,000. Rafferty Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 21,565 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,904,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 17.7% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 17,970 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,920,000 after acquiring an additional 2,701 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 62.4% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 24,436 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,691,000 after acquiring an additional 9,387 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 26,295 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $7,200,000 after acquiring an additional 3,010 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $285.58 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $280.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $262.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $212.24 and a 52-week high of $302.03. The company has a market cap of $63.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.77, a PEG ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.82.

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

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be paid a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on APD. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $276.00 to $281.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of 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. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of 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. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $323.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average 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.