1,991 Shares in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Acquired by Persium Advisors LLC

Persium Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,991 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $577,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of APD. Wedmont Private Capital lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 12.7% during the 4th quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 1,694 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $497,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the period. Agate Pass Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Agate Pass Investment Management LLC now owns 6,984 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,026,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,943,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 9,568 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,775,000 after purchasing an additional 607 shares during the period. Finally, Clark & Stuart Inc bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,146,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on APD shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $295.00 to $364.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Vertical Research upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $336.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, October 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective 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. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $331.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD stock traded up $8.79 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $301.87. 1,691,098 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,438,279. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $212.24 and a 52-week high of $337.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $309.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $292.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.57, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.84.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.35%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio 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.