Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Purchased by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 59.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 374,442 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 139,223 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC owned approximately 0.17% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $111,488,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,874,347 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,448,570,000 after buying an additional 88,806 shares in the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.2% during the second quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 3,062,859 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $790,371,000 after acquiring an additional 122,676 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 29,954.1% in 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 acquiring an additional 2,884,581 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 127.3% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,792,470 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $720,597,000 after acquiring an additional 1,564,169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.7% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 2,043,099 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $608,312,000 after purchasing an additional 33,313 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 2.9 %

NYSE:APD traded up $8.18 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $293.43. The company had a trading volume of 527,460 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,124,916. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $309.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $292.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.34 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 $337.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.08, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.84.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.41%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.21%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on APD. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $308.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. UBS Group upgraded 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Barclays raised their target price on 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $323.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $331.53.

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.