Oak Thistle LLC Acquires New Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,197 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $637,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 374,442 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $111,488,000 after purchasing an additional 139,223 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 13.4% in the 3rd quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 45,700 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $13,607,000 after purchasing an additional 5,400 shares during the period. Jensen Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 65.0% in the 3rd quarter. Jensen Investment Management Inc. now owns 13,170 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,921,000 after purchasing an additional 5,190 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,205.1% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 38,423 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $11,440,000 after purchasing an additional 35,479 shares during the period. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 44,661 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $13,297,000 after acquiring an additional 1,662 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on APD shares. Barclays increased their price target on 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 upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $305.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. UBS Group upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $375.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $330.00 to $350.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $295.00 to $364.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.71.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:APD traded up $5.11 on Thursday, hitting $312.01. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,237,477 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,637,268. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $309.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $293.48. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $212.24 and a 1 year high of $337.00. The company has a market capitalization of $69.39 billion, a PE ratio of 18.16, a PEG ratio of 2.88 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.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

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 $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.27%. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is currently 41.21%.

About Air Products and Chemicals

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.