Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Bought by Peterson Wealth Services

Peterson Wealth Services raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 10.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 4,634 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 442 shares during the quarter. Peterson Wealth Services’ holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,269,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of APD. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Legacy Bridge LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.4% in the 3rd quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Artemis Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

NYSE:APD traded up $1.25 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $230.26. 231,631 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,731,405. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.81. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $235.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $257.98. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $212.24 and a 1 year high of $307.71. The company has a market cap of $51.19 billion, a PE ratio of 21.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its 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 net margin of 18.82% and a return on equity of 16.84%. The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.64 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.38 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 28th. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $264.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Argus cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $270.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $245.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.