Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. Makes New $290,000 Investment in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 1,059 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $290,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of APD. Cibc World Market Inc. increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.9% during the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,180 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $295,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Prudential PLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,010,000. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 5,890 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,472,000 after buying an additional 1,075 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 105,875 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $26,459,000 after buying an additional 4,470 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 17.1% during the 1st quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 755 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $188,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on APD. UBS Group lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $328.00 to $241.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 8th. Argus lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $240.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $276.36.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE:APD traded down $1.35 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $231.67. 1,797,165 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,747,114. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The business has a 50-day moving average of $235.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $257.47. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $212.24 and a twelve month high of $307.71. The company has a market capitalization of $51.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.11, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by ($0.18). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.84% and a net margin of 18.82%. The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.64 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.38 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be paid a $1.77 dividend. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 28th. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.56%.

Air Products and Chemicals 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.