GS Investments Inc. Has $4.91 Million Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

GS Investments Inc. cut its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 0.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,649 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 61 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals makes up 2.3% of GS Investments Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. GS Investments Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $4,910,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 14.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $945,000 after buying an additional 412 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 11.2% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 52,503 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $15,228,000 after purchasing an additional 5,286 shares during the period. Allianz SE bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $225,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 28.3% in the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 20,277 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,881,000 after purchasing an additional 4,478 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on APD. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group raised their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $290.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $334.75.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $295.23 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $284.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $290.75. 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 cap of $65.70 billion, a PE ratio of 42.91, a PEG ratio of 5.67 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.83 by ($0.14). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.48% and a net margin of 12.76%. The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.85 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.43%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 104.07%.

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.