Ascent Wealth Partners LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Ascent Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 9.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,020 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,277 shares during the period. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $7,969,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $715,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 20.9% during the 1st quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 1,603 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $473,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Mantle Ridge LP bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,191,344,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $246,000. Finally, Allstate Corp bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,917,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on APD. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $355.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and cut their target price for the company from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $331.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:APD traded up $1.65 during trading on Friday, reaching $295.23. 2,097,647 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,362,278. The stock has a market cap of $65.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.54 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.00. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $280.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $290.18. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.69 and a 52-week high of $341.14.

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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.83 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 12.76% and a return on equity of 15.48%. Air Products and Chemicals's revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.85 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.