Oxford Financial Group Ltd. Acquires New Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Oxford Financial Group Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,696 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $508,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.9% in the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,180 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $295,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Prudential PLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,010,000. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 5,890 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,472,000 after buying an additional 1,075 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.4% during the first 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 during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 17.1% in the first quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 755 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $188,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.62% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD stock opened at $269.99 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $251.63 and a 1 year high of $328.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.16, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.33. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $283.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $286.66.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 7th. The basic materials company reported $3.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.11 by $0.04. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 18.26% and a return on equity of 17.02%. The firm had revenue of $3.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.35 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.89 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals’s quarterly revenue was down 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $1.75 per share. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 29th. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 67.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on APD. Redburn Atlantic lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $240.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 8th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 4th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $295.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $320.31.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CEO Seifi Ghasemi purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 8th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $252.34 per share, with a total value of $2,523,400.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 659,673 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $166,461,884.82. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.