Loudon Investment Management LLC Buys 1,437 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Loudon Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 26.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,896 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,437 shares during the period. Loudon Investment Management LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,034,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 833.3% during 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. lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 525.9% during 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. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $50,000. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $51,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on APD. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 price target for the company. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of 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 boosted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $334.75.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE APD traded down $0.51 on Thursday, reaching $297.38. 686,563 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,356,844. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.69 and a 12 month high of $341.14. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $282.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $290.44. The company has a market cap of $66.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.72 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted 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). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 12.76% and a return on equity of 15.48%. The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.85 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is presently 104.07%.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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.