Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Purchased by Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc.

Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.3% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 63,788 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 844 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals makes up about 1.8% of Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Armstrong Henry H Associates Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $18,812,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% in the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction of $181,706.50. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 719 shares in the company, valued at approximately $221,811.50. This represents a 45.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays reduced their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $331.00.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 2.1%

NYSE:APD opened at $278.99 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $62.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.69 and a twelve month high of $341.14. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $271.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $297.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.14). The business had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.85 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.57%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is 104.07%.

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.