M.E. Allison & CO. Inc. Purchases Shares of 893 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

M.E. Allison & CO. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 893 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $263,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 33.3% in the 4th quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc now owns 140 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD opened at $280.02 on Monday. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $271.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $293.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.32 billion, a PE ratio of 16.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.86. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.69 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.14). The company had revenue of $2.92 billion for 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 was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.85 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is presently 104.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on APD shares. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $355.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $330.00 to $282.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.41.

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.

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