Bank of Stockton Has $459,000 Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Bank of Stockton decreased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 13.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,779 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 273 shares during the period. Bank of Stockton’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $459,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sachetta LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Security National Bank bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Thompson Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Stuart Chaussee & Associates Inc. grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 257.6% in the 4th quarter. Stuart Chaussee & Associates Inc. now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock traded up $1.43 during trading on Friday, hitting $275.86. 514,167 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,682,664. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.81. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $266.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $252.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.31. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $212.24 and a 1-year high of $307.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 16.53%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be given a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.57%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.90%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on APD. StockNews.com raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of 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. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $240.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $310.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $323.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $297.40.

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.