Monarch Capital Management Inc. Acquires 540 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Monarch Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,655 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 540 shares during the quarter. Monarch Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $3,380,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. now owns 1,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $462,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Financial Management Professionals Inc. lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 1,605 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $465,000 after buying an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. now owns 3,926 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,139,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 22.1% in the 4th quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 13,126 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,807,000 after acquiring an additional 2,377 shares in the last quarter. Finally, O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 37.5% during the fourth quarter. O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. now owns 2,597 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $753,000 after acquiring an additional 708 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 8th. Citigroup increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $330.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays upped 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 research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $295.00 to $364.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $332.71.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD opened at $317.11 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.52 billion, a PE ratio of 18.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $309.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $294.10. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $212.24 and a 1-year high of $337.00.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.23%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.21%.

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.