Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Holdings Decreased by Financial Counselors Inc.

Financial Counselors Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 0.4% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 50,873 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 216 shares during the quarter. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $15,147,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.2% during the second quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 3,062,859 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $790,371,000 after buying an additional 122,676 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 29,954.1% during the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 2,894,211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $861,722,000 after buying an additional 2,884,581 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 127.3% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,792,470 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $720,597,000 after buying an additional 1,564,169 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.7% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 2,043,099 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $608,312,000 after buying an additional 33,313 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.3% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,034,818 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $525,085,000 after buying an additional 5,140 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

NYSE APD opened at $333.20 on Thursday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $212.24 and a twelve month high of $336.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.10 billion, a PE ratio of 19.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.81. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $313.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $284.69.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.12%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.21%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $295.00 to $364.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Evercore ISI upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $305.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $323.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $331.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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.