Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Bought by Eagle Asset Management Inc.

Eagle Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 22.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 32,220 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,854 shares during the quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $10,085,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of APD. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 72.9% during the first quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,428 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $346,000 after purchasing an additional 602 shares during the last quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,653 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,369,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter worth $281,000. Iron Gate Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter valued at about $11,310,000. Finally, Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 25.4% during the first quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,799 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $436,000 after acquiring an additional 364 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.9 %

APD opened at $331.83 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $73.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.31, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.81. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $310.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $282.91. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $212.24 and a 52 week high of $332.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on APD shares. UBS Group upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Barclays raised their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Citigroup upped 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 research note on Monday, November 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $331.53.

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.