Bleakley Financial Group LLC Cuts Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Bleakley Financial Group LLC decreased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 8.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,141 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 598 shares during the quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,681,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Dover Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dover Advisors LLC now owns 1,894 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $540,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 1,566 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $444,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Vestcor Inc increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 5,261 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,622,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 180 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 832 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $249,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.6 %

NYSE:APD opened at $235.91 on Thursday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $212.24 and a 12-month high of $307.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.58. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $235.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $259.91.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced 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). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.84% and a net margin of 18.82%. The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.64 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.38 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 28th. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 67.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on APD. StockNews.com upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, April 6th. TheStreet downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Argus downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $240.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $276.36.

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.