Park Avenue Securities LLC Grows Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 29.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,027 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 2,704 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $3,488,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.5% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 41,220 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $10,637,000 after buying an additional 999 shares in the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 93.6% in the 2nd quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,764 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $713,000 after acquiring an additional 1,336 shares during the last quarter. Argent Trust Co lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 7.2% in the 2nd quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 13,971 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,605,000 after purchasing an additional 942 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 12.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 20,207 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $5,166,000 after purchasing an additional 2,223 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blair William & Co. IL grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 24.4% in the second quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 100,992 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $26,061,000 after purchasing an additional 19,836 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on APD. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $323.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Evercore ISI upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $305.00 to $365.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of 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 upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, 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. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $332.71.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE APD traded up $5.05 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $317.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,315,359 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,698,951. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $212.24 and a 1 year high of $337.00. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $309.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $293.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.46, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.