Phoenix Wealth Advisors Has $1.20 Million Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Phoenix Wealth Advisors decreased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 48.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,402 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 4,057 shares during the quarter. Phoenix Wealth Advisors’ holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,204,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $962,356,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 111,211.3% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,640,729 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $505,771,000 after purchasing an additional 1,639,255 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 26.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 5,414,008 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,668,923,000 after purchasing an additional 1,115,729 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 222.0% during the second quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 879,406 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $263,407,000 after purchasing an additional 606,280 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,696.4% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 518,197 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $142,344,000 after purchasing an additional 489,350 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of APD stock traded down $3.40 on Wednesday, hitting $227.76. 2,590,139 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,263,944. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $50.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.81. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $212.24 and a fifty-two week high of $307.71. The business has a 50-day moving average of $235.11 and a 200 day moving average of $258.18.

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

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Investors of record on Monday, April 1st will be given a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.11%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 67.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APD has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Seaport Res Ptn cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $245.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Bank of America raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $264.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $270.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company 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 assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $276.36.

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.