GHP Investment Advisors Inc. Boosts Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 11.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 28,167 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,781 shares during the quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $8,170,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 106.3% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,494 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,914,000 after acquiring an additional 6,952 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 374,442 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $111,488,000 after acquiring an additional 139,223 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $7,269,000. Forsta AP Fonden lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 13.4% in the third quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 45,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $13,607,000 after acquiring an additional 5,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 88.2% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,074,000 after purchasing an additional 4,916 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on APD shares. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $308.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $330.00 to $350.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $323.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $340.50.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.7 %

NYSE:APD opened at $333.45 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $310.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $300.66. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $212.24 and a 12 month high of $341.14. The company has a market capitalization of $74.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.41, a PEG ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 31.64% and a return on equity of 16.34%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.15%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.21%.

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.