Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. Purchases 304 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 51,156 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 304 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for approximately 1.6% of Richard C. Young & CO. LTD.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $14,837,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 88.7% in the third quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 5.3 %

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $310.66 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $69.09 billion, a PE ratio of 18.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $309.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $301.29. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $213.80 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.34.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. Equities research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $320.00 target price (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $339.94.

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.