Delta Financial Advisors LLC Has $1.92 Million Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Delta Financial Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,993 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 148 shares during the quarter. Delta Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,915,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.9% during the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,180 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Prudential PLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter worth $1,010,000. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in shares of 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 worth $1,472,000 after acquiring an additional 1,075 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of 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 worth $26,459,000 after acquiring an additional 4,470 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its stake in shares of 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 worth $188,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD stock traded up $2.05 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $231.06. 461,739 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,734,523. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $212.24 and a 52 week high of $307.71. The business has a 50-day moving average of $235.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $257.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.36 billion, a PE ratio of 21.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released 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 company had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.64 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.38 EPS for the current fiscal 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 paid a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 28th. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on APD. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $245.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $304.00 to $295.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $305.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased 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 report on Tuesday, February 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock 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.