Cornell Pochily Investment Advisors Inc. Has $1.19 Million Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Cornell Pochily Investment Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 4,102 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 84 shares during the quarter. Cornell Pochily Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,190,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of APD. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 67.8% in the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 8,540 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,204,000 after acquiring an additional 3,451 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 175.5% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 45,366 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $11,707,000 after purchasing an additional 28,901 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 141,238 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $36,447,000 after purchasing an additional 5,997 shares during the last quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,859,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.9% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,542,288 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $397,986,000 after buying an additional 43,135 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD opened at $329.29 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The company has a market capitalization of $73.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.17, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.84. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $310.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $297.05. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $212.24 and a 1 year high of $337.00.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.17%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is 41.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Vertical Research raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $336.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Mizuho raised their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $308.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. UBS Group upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, November 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $330.00 to $350.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $337.88.

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.