Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Stake Boosted by Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC

Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,121 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 121 shares during the period. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,195,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of APD. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 29,954.1% during the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 2,894,211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $861,722,000 after acquiring an additional 2,884,581 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 240.7% during the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,023,433 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $304,717,000 after purchasing an additional 723,019 shares during the period. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 318.7% during the third quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 948,723 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $282,473,000 after purchasing an additional 722,132 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,685.4% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 764,489 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $249,698,000 after buying an additional 721,671 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 29,957.6% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 718,075 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,138,000,000 after buying an additional 715,686 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on APD. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $323.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Bank of America downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday. Barclays raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $308.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $338.47.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $327.02 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.52. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $310.11 and its 200-day moving average is $297.54. The company has a market cap of $72.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.84. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $212.24 and a 52-week high of $337.00.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.19%. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.21%.

About Air Products and Chemicals

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.