3,691 Shares in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Purchased by Simplicity Wealth LLC

Simplicity Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 3,691 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,089,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. West Paces Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. West Paces Advisors Inc. now owns 2,141 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $631,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 8.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,238 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,250,000 after buying an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 4,460 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,315,000 after buying an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Cardinal Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Cardinal Capital Management Inc. now owns 119,087 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,121,000 after buying an additional 867 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,710,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.1%

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $282.25 on Thursday. 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 firm’s fifty day moving average is $270.55 and its 200 day moving average is $295.16. The company has a market capitalization of $62.81 billion, a PE ratio of 16.39, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.86.

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

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $330.00 to $282.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $290.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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 report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays decreased 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $331.00.

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.