Littlejohn Financial Services Inc. Purchases 950 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Littlejohn Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 33.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,765 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 950 shares during the quarter. Littlejohn Financial Services Inc.'s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,110,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mantle Ridge LP bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth about $1,191,344,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $919,721,000. Bank of America Corp DE increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 129.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,429,147 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,574,670,000 after purchasing an additional 3,062,157 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $885,371,000. Finally, Capital International Investors acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $436,636,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock traded up $3.72 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $279.94. 1,078,622 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,445,174. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.69 and a 12 month high of $341.14. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $270.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $296.48. The company has a market capitalization of $62.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 1.11.

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 business had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.85 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.56%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is 104.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on APD. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $320.00 price target (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of 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. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $331.00.

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.