Benjamin Edwards Inc. Has $27.40 Million Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 7,459.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 92,002 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 90,785 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $27,398,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 29,954.1% in the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 2,894,211 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $861,722,000 after buying an additional 2,884,581 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 2,931.0% during the second quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,796,531 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $444,352,000 after purchasing an additional 1,737,260 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 127.3% in 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 purchasing an additional 1,564,169 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 240.7% during the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,023,433 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $304,717,000 after buying an additional 723,019 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Markets Americas LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 318.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 948,723 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $282,473,000 after buying an additional 722,132 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:APD traded up $1.29 during trading on Monday, reaching $335.62. The stock had a trading volume of 766,235 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,613,504. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $212.24 and a 52 week high of $336.42. The firm's fifty day moving average is $315.16 and its 200 day moving average is $286.11. The stock has a market cap of $74.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.54, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.52.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.11%. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is currently 41.21%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on APD. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $323.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $295.00 to $364.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Vertical Research upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $336.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic raised Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $330.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.