Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Acquired by Spring Capital Management LLC

Spring Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 17,692 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 379 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals comprises about 3.8% of Spring Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Spring Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $4,844,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $376,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,177,000. Bellwether Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter valued at about $501,000. W.H. Cornerstone Investments Inc. lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 5.9% during the third quarter. W.H. Cornerstone Investments Inc. now owns 5,871 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,664,000 after buying an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cox Capital Mgt LLC lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 75.3% during the fourth quarter. Cox Capital Mgt LLC now owns 12,103 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,314,000 after buying an additional 5,198 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $304.00 to $295.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, March 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $279.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $305.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, UBS Group downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $328.00 to $241.00 in a report on Thursday, February 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $280.29.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of APD stock opened at $241.33 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $53.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.81. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $212.24 and a one year high of $307.71. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $240.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $264.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.58.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.00 by ($0.18). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.84% and a net margin of 18.82%. The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.64 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.93%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 28th. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.79%.

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.