HF Advisory Group LLC Acquires 1,674 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

HF Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 69.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,086 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 1,674 shares during the quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,205,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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. Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Financial Perspectives Inc boosted its stake 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 worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:APD traded up $3.72 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $279.94. 1,078,622 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,444,760. The company has a market capitalization of $62.30 billion, a PE ratio of 16.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.69 and a 52-week high of $341.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $270.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $296.48.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.83 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.85 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.56%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is presently 104.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on APD. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and cut their price target for the company from $330.00 to $282.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of 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. BNP Paribas raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $331.00.

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.