Avestar Capital LLC Buys 79 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Avestar Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 8.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,068 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 79 shares during the quarter. Avestar Capital LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $318,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.2% during the second quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 3,062,859 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $790,371,000 after purchasing an additional 122,676 shares during the period. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 29,954.1% during the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 2,894,211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $861,722,000 after purchasing an additional 2,884,581 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 127.3% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,792,470 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $720,597,000 after purchasing an additional 1,564,169 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.7% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 2,043,099 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $608,312,000 after purchasing an additional 33,313 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.3% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,034,818 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $525,085,000 after buying an additional 5,140 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD opened at $333.20 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $74.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $313.32 and a 200 day moving average of $284.69. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $212.24 and a twelve month high of $336.42.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.12%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on APD shares. 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. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $291.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $305.00 to $365.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $308.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $331.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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.