Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by Boston Trust Walden Corp

Boston Trust Walden Corp reduced its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 263,203 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 6,505 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned about 0.12% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $77,624,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mantle Ridge LP purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,191,344,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $919,721,000. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 129.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,429,147 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,574,670,000 after buying an additional 3,062,157 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $885,371,000. Finally, Capital International Investors purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $436,636,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of APD stock opened at $275.32 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.69 and a twelve month high of $341.14. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $272.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $293.27. The stock has a market cap of $61.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.02, a PEG ratio of 5.32 and a beta of 0.86.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.48% and a net margin of 12.76%. Air Products and Chemicals’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.85 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 104.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on APD shares. UBS Group reduced 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. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays cut their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $332.41.

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.