Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC Trims Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC lowered its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,301 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 253 shares during the quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,579,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.2% in 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 buying an additional 122,676 shares during the period. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 29,954.1% in the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 2,894,211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $861,722,000 after purchasing an additional 2,884,581 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position 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 valued at $720,597,000 after purchasing an additional 1,564,169 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.7% in 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 raised 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 purchasing an additional 5,140 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

APD opened at $334.48 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $315.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $285.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 0.81. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $212.24 and a 52-week high of $336.42.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $323.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $291.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Citigroup boosted 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. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.