RFG Advisory LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

RFG Advisory LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,536 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. RFG Advisory LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,186,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of APD. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 67.8% in the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 8,540 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,204,000 after purchasing an additional 3,451 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 175.5% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 45,366 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $11,707,000 after purchasing an additional 28,901 shares in the last quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 25,524 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,586,000 after purchasing an additional 1,091 shares in the last quarter. MBB Public Markets I LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,240.5% in the 2nd quarter. MBB Public Markets I LLC now owns 15,697 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,051,000 after purchasing an additional 14,526 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in 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 worth $36,447,000 after purchasing an additional 5,997 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Barclays upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $330.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Mizuho lifted 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 note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $295.00 to $364.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $335.65.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $329.29 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $73.23 billion, a PE ratio of 19.17, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $309.89 and a 200 day moving average of $295.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.52. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $212.24 and a one year high of $337.00.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently 41.21%.

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.