Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC Acquires 430 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 6.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,415 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 430 shares during the quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,187,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.0%

APD opened at $280.49 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $62.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.29, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 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 fifty day moving average price of $272.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $293.51.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.83 by ($0.14). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. The company had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.85 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities 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 Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 104.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on APD shares. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price 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. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $332.41.

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.