Powers Advisory Group LLC Grows Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Powers Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 17.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,282 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 188 shares during the period. Powers Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $351,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of APD. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.9% in the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,180 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $295,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Prudential PLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter valued at $1,010,000. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 5,890 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,472,000 after buying an additional 1,075 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.4% in the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 105,875 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,459,000 after buying an additional 4,470 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 17.1% in the first quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 755 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $188,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on APD shares. Seaport Res Ptn cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. UBS Group cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $328.00 to $241.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. TheStreet cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $279.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Mizuho cut their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $304.00 to $295.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $280.29.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $237.88 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $240.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $264.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.58. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $212.24 and a 12 month high of $307.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.00 by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.20 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.84% and a net margin of 18.82%. Air Products and Chemicals’s revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.64 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.98%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 66.79%.

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.