United Asset Strategies Inc. Buys 259 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

United Asset Strategies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 17,828 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 259 shares during the period. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $5,171,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,874,347 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,448,570,000 after purchasing an additional 88,806 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 2,884,581 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 2,043,099 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $608,312,000 after buying an additional 33,313 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 25.2% during the 2nd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,936,582 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $499,735,000 after acquiring an additional 389,380 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,867,290 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $555,967,000 after acquiring an additional 70,759 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $329.29 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.52. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $212.24 and a 52-week high of $337.00. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $310.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $297.05. The firm has a market cap of $73.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.17, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.84.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.17%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on APD shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $295.00 to $364.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Vertical Research upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $336.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Barclays upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Friday. Mizuho upped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $308.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $337.88.

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.