Roble Belko & Company Inc Takes $27,000 Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Roble Belko & Company Inc bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 100 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dover Advisors LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dover Advisors LLC now owns 1,894 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $540,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 1,566 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $444,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in 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 valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC now owns 1,025 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $290,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 3,636 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $996,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

APD traded down $0.30 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $234.06. The company had a trading volume of 528,763 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,729,195. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $212.24 and a twelve month high of $307.71. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $236.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $256.79. The company has a market capitalization of $52.03 billion, a PE ratio of 22.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.81.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.64 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research 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 company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 28th. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is 67.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Argus lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on 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. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $240.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $276.36.

About Air Products and Chemicals

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.