Decker Retirement Planning Inc. Purchases Shares of 173 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 173 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.3% during the third quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 11,593 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,452,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.6% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,343 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Bank of Stockton raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% during the third quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 1,813 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $540,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 203 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Chesapeake Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.7% during the third quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 2,189 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $652,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $330.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $308.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $323.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $332.71.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $312.01 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $69.39 billion, a PE ratio of 18.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $309.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $293.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.34. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $212.24 and a 12 month high of $337.00.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.21%.

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.