Financial Counselors Inc. Reduces Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Financial Counselors Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 2.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 48,507 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 1,172 shares during the period. Financial Counselors Inc.'s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $14,306,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of APD. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 14.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $945,000 after purchasing an additional 412 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $246,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 16.6% in the fourth quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,831 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $821,000 after acquiring an additional 404 shares during the last quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 26.9% during the fourth quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 958 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $278,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 312.5% during the fourth quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 198 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $355.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD traded up $1.43 on Wednesday, reaching $293.78. The stock had a trading volume of 1,040,416 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,366,934. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.38 billion, a PE ratio of 42.70, a PEG ratio of 5.61 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 of $278.09 and a 200 day moving average of $290.28. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.69 and a twelve month high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.14). The company had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.85 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 104.07%.

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.