Arkadios Wealth Advisors Purchases 2,451 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Key Points

• Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 18.7%, acquiring an additional 2,451 shares, bringing its total holdings to 15,577 shares valued at approximately $4.59 million.
• Air Products and Chemicals reported an EPS of $2.69 for the last quarter, falling short of projections and reflecting a 0.5% decline in revenue year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.79 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.46% and a payout ratio currently at 104.07%.

Arkadios Wealth Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 18.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,577 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,451 shares during the quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors' holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $4,594,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of APD. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 14.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $945,000 after purchasing an additional 412 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 28.3% in the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 20,277 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $5,881,000 after buying an additional 4,478 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 36.6% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 8,775 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,545,000 after buying an additional 2,352 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 243,505 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $70,626,000 after buying an additional 2,239 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Financial LLC raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 3,141 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $911,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE APD traded down $6.00 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $281.88. 1,072,180 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 934,039. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. 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 price is $285.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $290.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.73 billion, a PE ratio of 40.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.53 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.10. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 12.86%. The company had revenue of $3.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.20 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is currently 104.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on APD shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Morgan Stanley started 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. UBS Group lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $334.75.

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.