BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Trims Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. reduced its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 28.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 124,128 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 49,962 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. owned 0.06% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $37,283,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Forsta AP Fonden boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 13.4% in the third quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 45,700 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $13,607,000 after acquiring an additional 5,400 shares during the period. 1832 Asset Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.6% in the first quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 67,507 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $16,355,000 after buying an additional 2,321 shares in the last quarter. Jensen Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 65.0% in the third quarter. Jensen Investment Management Inc. now owns 13,170 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,921,000 after buying an additional 5,190 shares in the last quarter. Woodstock Corp increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 38,976 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $11,605,000 after purchasing an additional 2,387 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Impax Asset Management Group plc purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth about $3,234,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE:APD traded up $2.95 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $331.83. 2,189,995 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,617,082. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $212.24 and a one year high of $332.69. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $309.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $282.08.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.13%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on APD shares. Citigroup lifted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. UBS Group upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $375.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Evercore ISI upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $305.00 to $365.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $345.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $331.53.

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.