O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Sells 3,951 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 24.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,960 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 3,951 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,898,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Sachetta LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Security National Bank bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Barclays raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $310.00 to $280.00 in a report on Monday. UBS Group raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $257.00 to $268.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $286.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $289.29.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of APD stock traded up $4.20 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $260.20. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,825,322 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,766,183. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $264.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $249.91. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $212.24 and a 52 week high of $307.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.49. The company has a market cap of $57.85 billion, a PE ratio of 23.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $2.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.70 by $0.15. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 20.32%. The firm had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.74 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be given a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 63.90%.

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.