Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Boosts Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 0.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 222,023 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 404 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $64,396,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 374,442 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $111,488,000 after buying an additional 139,223 shares during the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,269,000. Forsta AP Fonden increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 13.4% during the third quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 45,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $13,607,000 after buying an additional 5,400 shares during the period. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 88.2% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,490 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,074,000 after buying an additional 4,916 shares during the period. Finally, Jensen Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 65.0% during the third quarter. Jensen Investment Management Inc. now owns 13,170 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,921,000 after buying an additional 5,190 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on APD shares. Vertical Research raised 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 note on Monday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on 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. Barclays boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $332.71.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $316.87 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $309.66 and a 200 day moving average of $295.61. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $212.24 and a 12 month high of $337.00. The firm has a market cap of $70.46 billion, a PE ratio of 18.44, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.26%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.21%.

Air Products and Chemicals 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.