Burney Co. Grows Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Burney Co. grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 355.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,813 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,879 shares during the period. Burney Co.'s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,556,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 2,884,581 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 240.7% in the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,023,433 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $304,717,000 after buying an additional 723,019 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 318.7% during the third quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 948,723 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $282,473,000 after acquiring an additional 722,132 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,685.4% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 764,489 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $249,698,000 after acquiring an additional 721,671 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 29,957.6% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 718,075 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,138,000,000 after acquiring an additional 715,686 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 1.7 %

NYSE:APD traded up $5.11 on Thursday, reaching $312.01. The stock had a trading volume of 1,237,477 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,637,268. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $212.24 and a 12-month high of $337.00. The company has a market cap of $69.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.84. The firm's fifty day moving average is $309.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $293.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.34.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is 41.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $330.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $330.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $345.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $295.00 to $364.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $332.71.

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.