Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by Financial Counselors Inc.

Financial Counselors Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 0.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 50,873 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 216 shares during the quarter. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $15,147,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Forsta AP Fonden boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 13.4% during the 3rd quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 45,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $13,607,000 after purchasing an additional 5,400 shares during the period. Jensen Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 65.0% during the 3rd quarter. Jensen Investment Management Inc. now owns 13,170 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,921,000 after purchasing an additional 5,190 shares during the period. Woodstock Corp boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 38,976 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $11,605,000 after purchasing an additional 2,387 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $3,234,000. Finally, ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 33.8% during the 3rd quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 51,110 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $15,217,000 after purchasing an additional 12,925 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on APD shares. Barclays lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Redburn Atlantic raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $331.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $333.20 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $313.32 and its 200-day moving average is $284.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.10 billion, a PE ratio of 19.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $212.24 and a 12-month high of $336.42.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 2.12%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.