Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Acquired by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 15.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,062 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 551 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,209,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of APD. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 29,954.1% during the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 2,894,211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $861,722,000 after buying an additional 2,884,581 shares during the last quarter. ING Groep NV boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 240.7% during the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,023,433 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $304,717,000 after buying an additional 723,019 shares during the period. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 722,132 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,685.4% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 764,489 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $249,698,000 after buying an additional 721,671 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 29,957.6% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 718,075 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,138,000,000 after buying an additional 715,686 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE APD opened at $327.02 on Wednesday. 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 current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a market capitalization of $72.72 billion, a PE ratio of 19.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $310.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $297.54.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is 41.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup upped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $323.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Evercore ISI raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $305.00 to $365.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. UBS Group upped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Vertical Research raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $336.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, October 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $338.47.

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.