25,062 Shares in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Purchased by Wedge Capital Management L L P NC

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 25,062 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,269,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 374,442 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $111,488,000 after buying an additional 139,223 shares during the last quarter. Forsta AP Fonden boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 13.4% in the third quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 45,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $13,607,000 after buying an additional 5,400 shares in the last quarter. Jensen Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 65.0% during the third quarter. Jensen Investment Management Inc. now owns 13,170 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,921,000 after purchasing an additional 5,190 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,205.1% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 38,423 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $11,440,000 after purchasing an additional 35,479 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 44,661 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $13,297,000 after purchasing an additional 1,662 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup raised their price objective on 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. Vertical Research upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $336.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, October 7th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $295.00 to $364.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $332.71.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 1.6 %

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $317.11 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.84. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $212.24 and a 12-month high of $337.00. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $309.42 and a 200 day moving average of $294.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend 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.