Swiss National Bank Sells 900 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Swiss National Bank lowered its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 0.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 627,200 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 900 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $184,974,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. AlphaCore Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter worth $108,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 10.3% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 413,484 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $121,945,000 after purchasing an additional 38,676 shares during the period. WealthPLAN Partners LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.9% during the first quarter. WealthPLAN Partners LLC now owns 13,167 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,883,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 5.4% during the first quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC now owns 5,819 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,716,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Barn Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter valued at about $306,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of APD stock opened at $288.55 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.69 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $286.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $289.60. The company has a market cap of $64.22 billion, a PE ratio of 41.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.44 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.20 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 103.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total value of $397,344.42. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 8,686 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,539,612.68. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $290.00 price target for the company. Mizuho upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $335.07.

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.