PYA Waltman Capital LLC Grows Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

PYA Waltman Capital LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 3,510 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. PYA Waltman Capital LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,045,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Forsta AP Fonden increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 13.4% during the 3rd 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 during the period. Jensen Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 65.0% during the third quarter. Jensen Investment Management Inc. now owns 13,170 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,921,000 after buying an additional 5,190 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.9% during the third quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 44,661 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $13,297,000 after acquiring an additional 1,662 shares in the last quarter. Woodstock Corp lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.5% in the third quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 38,976 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $11,605,000 after acquiring an additional 2,387 shares during the period. Finally, Impax Asset Management Group plc bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter valued at $3,234,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Vertical Research upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $336.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, October 7th. UBS Group raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $331.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $320.11 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $318.21 and a 200 day moving average of $288.37. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $212.24 and a twelve month high of $337.00. The firm has a market cap of $71.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.63, a PEG ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio 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.