Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Purchased by Orser Capital Management LLC

Orser Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 100.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,360 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,185 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals comprises 2.5% of Orser Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Orser Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,504,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of APD. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $962,356,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 111,211.3% during the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,640,729 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $505,771,000 after purchasing an additional 1,639,255 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 26.0% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 5,414,008 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,668,923,000 after purchasing an additional 1,115,729 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 240.0% during the first quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,284,750 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $369,009,000 after purchasing an additional 906,916 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Winslow Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $178,964,000. 82.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $302.11 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $224.75 and a one year high of $328.56. The company has a market cap of $67.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.73, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.36. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $294.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $287.74.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 3rd. The basic materials company reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.07. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 17.18% and a net margin of 16.88%. The firm had revenue of $3.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.62 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 11.47 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 13th. Investors of record on Monday, October 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 29th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 71.21%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on APD shares. Mizuho increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $322.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Citigroup started coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Tuesday, June 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $317.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $318.93.

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; specialty gases; and equipment for the production or processing of gases comprising air separation units and non-cryogenic generators for customers in various industries, including refining, chemical, manufacturing, electronics, magnetic resonance imaging, energy production, medical, food, and metals.