Cerity Partners LLC Buys 7,837 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 5.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 140,527 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 7,837 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $41,840,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 worth $35,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the second quarter worth $32,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth $42,000. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,700.0% during the second quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 144 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth $47,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on APD. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Vertical Research upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $336.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, October 7th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $295.00 to $364.00 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 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $291.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $331.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $331.83 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $310.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $282.91. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $212.24 and a 1-year high of $332.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.81. 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 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 2.13%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.