Blue Trust Inc. Acquires 551 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 15.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 4,062 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 551 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,209,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter worth $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 88.7% during the third quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 58.8% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 135 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter valued at about $42,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on APD shares. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $330.00 to $350.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $305.00 to $365.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $295.00 to $364.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $338.47.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE APD opened at $327.02 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $72.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.04, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a 50 day moving average of $310.11 and a 200-day moving average of $297.54. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $212.24 and a 1-year high of $337.00.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.19%. 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.