Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. Purchases Shares of 1,059 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 1,059 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $290,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Legacy Bridge LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.4% during the 3rd quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 132 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Artemis Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on APD. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Citigroup increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $270.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $240.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $276.36.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of APD stock traded down $1.35 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $231.67. 1,797,165 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,747,114. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a current ratio of 1.81. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $235.88 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $257.47. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $212.24 and a one year high of $307.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its 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). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.84% and a net margin of 18.82%. The business had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.64 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be paid a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.06%. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.