Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Buys 3,210 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 15.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 24,054 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 3,210 shares during the quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $6,977,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD opened at $310.66 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $69.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.04, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $309.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $301.60. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $213.80 and a 1-year high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. On average, research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently 41.11%.

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.