Persium Advisors LLC Takes $577,000 Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Persium Advisors LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 1,991 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $577,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of APD. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,874,347 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,448,570,000 after purchasing an additional 88,806 shares in the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.2% during the 2nd 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 lifted its position in 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 during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 1,564,169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates raised its stake 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 worth $608,312,000 after acquiring an additional 33,313 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 3.0 %

Shares of APD traded up $8.79 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $301.87. The company had a trading volume of 1,691,098 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,438,279. 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. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $309.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $292.76. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.52.

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 $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.35%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $295.00 to $364.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. 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 for the company in a research report on Friday, November 8th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $323.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Vertical Research upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $336.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $308.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $331.53.

About Air Products and Chemicals

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.