Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Bought by BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 174,090 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,709 shares during the quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. owned 0.08% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $45,797,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Sachetta LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Security National Bank purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Thompson Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 2,250.0% in the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 141 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE:APD opened at $278.85 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $267.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $253.82. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $212.24 and a 12-month high of $307.71. The firm has a market cap of $61.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.17, a PEG ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.04 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 16.53%. Equities analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.29 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 63.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on APD shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $310.00 to $280.00 in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $240.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $276.00 to $281.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $297.40.

Air Products and Chemicals 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.