886 Shares in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Acquired by Rockport Wealth LLC

Rockport Wealth LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 886 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $215,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Sachetta LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Security National Bank purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Thompson Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of NYSE:APD traded up $7.45 on Tuesday, hitting $256.00. 3,205,626 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,758,485. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $212.24 and a 12 month high of $307.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.81. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $264.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $250.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.49 and a quick ratio of 1.31.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $2.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.70 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 20.32%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.74 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.77%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 29th. Bank of America increased their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $275.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $270.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $294.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $289.29.

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.