Blue Barn Wealth LLC Makes New Investment in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Key Points

• Blue Barn Wealth LLC has invested approximately $306,000 in Air Products and Chemicals, acquiring 1,037 shares of the company during the first quarter.
• Air Products and Chemicals recently announced a $1.79 quarterly dividend, representing an annual yield of 2.5%, with a payout ratio of 103.02%.
• The company's stock has been rated with an average of "Moderate Buy" by analysts, with a consensus price target of $335.07.

Blue Barn Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 1,037 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $306,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,307,807 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $385,698,000 after acquiring an additional 19,237 shares in the last quarter. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter worth $5,598,000. Strategy Asset Managers LLC lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC now owns 9,298 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,742,000 after buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,610 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $770,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.9% in the 1st quarter. Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich now owns 833 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $245,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $288.55. 1,372,207 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 932,117. The business's 50 day moving average price is $286.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $289.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.22 billion, a PE ratio of 41.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.44 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.29. 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 quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.10. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 12.86% and a return on equity of 15.11%. The firm had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.20 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals's quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 103.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on APD. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. 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 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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 research report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $335.07.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total value of $397,344.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 8,686 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,539,612.68. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.