Persium Advisors LLC Purchases Shares of 1,991 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Persium Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,991 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $577,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 29,954.1% in the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 2,894,211 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $861,722,000 after purchasing an additional 2,884,581 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 127.3% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,792,470 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $720,597,000 after acquiring an additional 1,564,169 shares during the period. ING Groep NV grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 240.7% in the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,023,433 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $304,717,000 after acquiring an additional 723,019 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 318.7% in the third quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 948,723 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $282,473,000 after purchasing an additional 722,132 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,685.4% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 764,489 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $249,698,000 after purchasing an additional 721,671 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 3.0 %

Air Products and Chemicals stock traded up $8.79 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $301.87. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,290,322 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,567,632. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $212.24 and a 52-week high of $337.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.57, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $309.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $293.04.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on APD shares. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $305.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $323.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Vertical Research raised Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $336.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $331.53.

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.