Buffington Mohr McNeal Grows Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Buffington Mohr McNeal raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 32,062 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 457 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals comprises 1.8% of Buffington Mohr McNeal’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Buffington Mohr McNeal’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $8,779,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Legacy Bridge LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.4% during the 3rd quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Artemis Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on APD shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday. Argus downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $270.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $276.36.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

NYSE:APD traded down $1.07 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $230.09. 1,099,340 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,735,198. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $234.91 and its 200-day moving average is $258.57. The firm has a market cap of $51.15 billion, a PE ratio of 22.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.81. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $212.24 and a twelve month high of $307.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by ($0.18). The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.84% and a net margin of 18.82%. The business’s revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.64 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Investors of record on Monday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.08%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 28th. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.56%.

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.