Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC Decreases Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 30.9% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,521 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 679 shares during the quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $449,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% during the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Financial Perspectives Inc increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 33.3% during the fourth quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc now owns 140 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of APD stock opened at $279.94 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $270.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $295.93. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.69 and a 1-year high of $341.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.30 billion, a PE ratio of 16.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.85 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.56%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 104.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on APD shares. Citigroup cut their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. UBS Group cut their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price 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. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $290.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $330.00 to $282.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $331.00.

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.