Kieckhefer Group LLC Takes $1.94 Million Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 6,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,943,000. Air Products and Chemicals makes up approximately 1.2% of Kieckhefer Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 29,954.1% in the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 2,894,211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $861,722,000 after buying an additional 2,884,581 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 127.3% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,792,470 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $720,597,000 after acquiring an additional 1,564,169 shares during the last quarter. ING Groep NV raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 240.7% in the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,023,433 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $304,717,000 after acquiring an additional 723,019 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 318.7% during the third quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 948,723 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $282,473,000 after purchasing an additional 722,132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,685.4% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 764,489 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $249,698,000 after purchasing an additional 721,671 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APD has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. StockNews.com raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $323.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $305.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $331.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

APD traded up $6.80 on Monday, reaching $299.88. The stock had a trading volume of 709,796 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,314,457. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $309.41 and a 200-day moving average of $292.76. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $212.24 and a fifty-two week high of $337.00. The company has a market capitalization of $66.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 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 Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.21%.

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.