Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by SS&H Financial Advisors Inc.

SS&H Financial Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 24.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,340 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 434 shares during the period. SS&H Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $395,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% in the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the subject of several recent research reports. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price target (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $331.00.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 1.7%

NYSE:APD opened at $283.49 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.69 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The stock has a market cap of $63.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $271.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $296.95.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.14). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. The business had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.85 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 104.07%.

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.