Atria Investments Inc Buys 4,923 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Atria Investments Inc raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 15.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 37,191 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,923 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $10,968,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Northern Financial Advisors Inc acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 1st quarter worth about $253,000. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 7.8% in the first quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 2,169 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $640,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 10.6% in the first quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,686 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $497,000 after buying an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $165,000. Finally, Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter valued at approximately $792,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on APD shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $355.00 price target for the company. 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 report on Tuesday, July 15th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $334.75.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD traded up $2.02 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $299.24. The stock had a trading volume of 712,968 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,020,388. The company has a market capitalization of $66.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.70 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.69 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The company's 50-day moving average is $283.27 and its 200 day moving average is $290.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.83 by ($0.14). The company had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.48% and a net margin of 12.76%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.85 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is presently 104.07%.

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.