Silver Oak Securities Incorporated Buys 32 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,074 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $888,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 106.3% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,494 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,914,000 after buying an additional 6,952 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% in 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 purchasing an additional 139,223 shares in the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $7,269,000. Forsta AP Fonden boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 13.4% during the third quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 45,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $13,607,000 after purchasing an additional 5,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 88.2% during the fourth 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 last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $330.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $340.50.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 1.5 %

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $328.30 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $73.01 billion, a PE ratio of 19.11, a PEG ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $213.07 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $310.40 and its 200 day moving average is $300.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.68%.

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.