Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Purchased by Founders Financial Alliance LLC

Key Points

• Founders Financial Alliance LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 119.3%, owning 2,059 shares worth approximately $607,000 by the end of the first quarter.
• Air Products and Chemicals reported an EPS of $3.09 for the last quarter, exceeding analyst estimates and showing a 1.2% revenue increase year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.79 per share, with an annualized payout of $7.16 and a dividend yield of 2.5%.

Founders Financial Alliance LLC increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 119.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,059 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,120 shares during the quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $607,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter worth $25,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 833.3% in the 1st quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 112 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 525.9% in the 4th quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

NYSE APD traded down $4.69 on Monday, hitting $284.05. The company had a trading volume of 1,115,147 shares, compared to its average volume of 948,619. The company has a market capitalization of $63.21 billion, a PE ratio of 40.87, a PEG ratio of 6.44 and a beta of 0.81. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.69 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The company's fifty day moving average price is $286.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $289.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.12.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $3.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.20 EPS. The firm's revenue 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 year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 is presently 103.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $355.00 target price for the company. Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Mizuho increased their target price 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $335.07.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the business'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 sale, the vice president directly owned 8,686 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,539,612.68. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

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.