Financial Management Professionals Inc. Grows Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Financial Management Professionals Inc. raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 11.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,605 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $465,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 11,593 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,452,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.6% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,343 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $400,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Stockton boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% in the third quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 1,813 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $540,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 203 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chesapeake Wealth Management increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 2,189 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $652,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APD has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $323.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $330.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. UBS Group raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $295.00 to $364.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $332.71.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $317.11 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.46, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $309.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $294.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.34. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $212.24 and a 12 month high of $337.00.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.23%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.