Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 3,733 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 1.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 317,020 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 3,733 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.14% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $94,390,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 3,062,859 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $790,371,000 after purchasing an additional 122,676 shares during the period. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 2,884,581 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised 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 buying an additional 1,564,169 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 2,043,099 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $608,312,000 after buying an additional 33,313 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,034,818 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $525,085,000 after acquiring an additional 5,140 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group raised Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $375.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 18th. 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 research report on Friday, October 11th. Barclays upped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, Vertical Research raised 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 research note on Monday, October 7th. Eight equities research 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 presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $331.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:APD traded down $2.24 during trading on Monday, reaching $317.87. 390,365 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,602,821. The stock has a market cap of $70.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 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. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $318.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $288.37. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $212.24 and a 52-week high of $337.00.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is 41.21%.

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.