Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Acquired by Nisa Investment Advisors LLC

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 0.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 65,001 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $17,797,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter valued at $376,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $1,177,000. Bellwether Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth about $501,000. W.H. Cornerstone Investments Inc. lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. W.H. Cornerstone Investments Inc. now owns 5,871 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,664,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 47,146 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $12,909,000 after acquiring an additional 5,577 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on APD. Wells Fargo & Company lowered Air Products and Chemicals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. UBS Group lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $328.00 to $241.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $240.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Mizuho cut their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $304.00 to $295.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $305.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $280.29.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.4 %

APD opened at $237.63 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $236.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $260.41. The company has a market cap of $52.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.67, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.81. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $212.24 and a one year high of $307.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.20 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.84% and a net margin of 18.82%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.64 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Investors of record on Monday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 28th. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.56%.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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.