2,700 Shares in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Bought by Advisors Preferred LLC

Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,700 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $792,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $715,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 20.9% in the first quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 1,603 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $473,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Mantle Ridge LP bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,191,344,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $246,000. Finally, Allstate Corp bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,917,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APD has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $355.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 30th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $334.75.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.7%

APD stock traded up $2.02 during trading on Friday, hitting $299.24. The company had a trading volume of 712,968 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,352,296. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.69 and a 12 month high of $341.14. The stock has a market cap of $66.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.49, a PEG ratio of 5.71 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $282.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $290.54.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.83 by ($0.14). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 12.76% and a return on equity of 15.48%. The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.85 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals's quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 104.07%.

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.