Chicago Capital LLC Grows Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Chicago Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 128.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,455 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,625 shares during the period. Chicago Capital LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,904,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% in the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 33.3% during the 4th quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc now owns 140 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of APD stock opened at $277.19 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $61.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.29, a PEG ratio of 5.38 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $272.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $293.39. 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 issued its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.48% and a net margin of 12.76%. The business's quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.85 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.58%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is presently 104.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on APD shares. Barclays dropped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 price target for the company. 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 objective on the stock. Finally, Bank of America cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $332.41.

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.

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