LS Investment Advisors LLC Cuts Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

LS Investment Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 39.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,637 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 1,050 shares during the period. LS Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $483,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,742 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $505,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 2,028 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $588,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% in the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 3,074 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $888,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 974 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $282,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on 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. UBS Group decreased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $320.00 price objective (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BNP Paribas upgraded Air Products and Chemicals to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $331.00.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE APD traded up $3.72 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $279.94. The company had a trading volume of 1,078,622 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,444,760. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.69 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The company has a market capitalization of $62.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $270.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $296.48.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analysts' expectations 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.85 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast 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 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.56%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.