Bard Financial Services Inc. Increases Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Bard Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,861,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% in the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 33.3% in the 4th quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc now owns 140 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $281.78 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $270.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $295.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.69 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.36, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.86.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.83 by ($0.14). The company had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. Air Products and Chemicals’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.85 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 104.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on APD shares. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $330.00 to $282.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $331.00.

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.