Windward Capital Management Co. CA Reduces Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Windward Capital Management Co. CA trimmed its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 11.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,381 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 178 shares during the quarter. Windward Capital Management Co. CA’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $356,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Sachetta LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Security National Bank purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Thompson Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2,250.0% during the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 141 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $240.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $291.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $323.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $276.00 to $281.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $297.40.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD opened at $268.71 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.25, a PEG ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $212.24 and a one year high of $307.71. The business has a fifty day moving average of $268.38 and a 200 day moving average of $256.18.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.16. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 21.24%. The business had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.32 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.63%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.90%.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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.