United Asset Strategies Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

United Asset Strategies Inc. grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 6.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 5,787 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 362 shares during the period. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,584,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Legacy Bridge LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 40.4% in the 3rd quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Artemis Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on APD shares. TheStreet cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $245.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday. Bank of America upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $264.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $305.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $276.36.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD opened at $227.76 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $235.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $258.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The company has a market capitalization of $50.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.81. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $212.24 and a 52-week high of $307.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by ($0.18). The business had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 18.82% and a return on equity of 16.84%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.64 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be issued a $1.77 dividend. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 28th. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.56%.

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.