Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Bought by Central Valley Advisors LLC

Central Valley Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 6,373 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals comprises approximately 1.1% of Central Valley Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Central Valley Advisors LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,897,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at $449,000. Rafferty Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 21,565 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,904,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 17.7% during 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 buying an additional 2,701 shares during the period. 1832 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 65,186 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $17,848,000 after buying an additional 5,142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 849,349 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $232,552,000 after acquiring an additional 83,273 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.0 %

NYSE APD traded down $0.08 on Friday, reaching $285.50. The stock had a trading volume of 924,756 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,613,907. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $212.24 and a 12-month high of $302.03. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $280.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $262.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.82. 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 (NYSE:APD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.04 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 21.24%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 63.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on APD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $275.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Barclays boosted 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $296.50.

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.