Czech National Bank Acquires 2,896 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 6.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 51,099 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,896 shares during the period. Czech National Bank's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $15,070,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of APD. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,742 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $505,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,028 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $588,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% in the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $888,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 974 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $282,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD stock traded down $1.49 during trading on Thursday, reaching $278.73. 280,654 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,440,414. The company's fifty day moving average price is $271.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $296.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market cap of $62.03 billion, a PE ratio of 16.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.69 and a 1-year high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.14). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. The business had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.85 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals's revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.57%. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is presently 104.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APD has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $330.00 to $282.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $331.00.

About Air Products and Chemicals

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.