Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Acquired by Townsquare Capital LLC

Townsquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 5.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 46,143 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 2,408 shares during the quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $13,609,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth $25,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth $27,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 833.3% during the first quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 112 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 525.9% during the fourth quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $50,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total transaction of $397,344.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 8,686 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,539,612.68. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

APD opened at $288.55 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $286.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $289.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.29. 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 capitalization of $64.22 billion, a PE ratio of 41.52, a P/E/G ratio of 6.44 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.10. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 12.86%. The firm had revenue of $3.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.20 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 103.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APD has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 30th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $335.07.

Air Products and Chemicals 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.