Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Sells 5,223 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lessened its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 7.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 61,545 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 5,223 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $18,151,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 833.3% during the first quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 112 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 525.9% in the fourth quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APD has been the subject of a number of research reports. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 30th. Barclays reduced 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $332.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of APD traded down $1.98 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $292.13. 1,042,263 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,360,700. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $278.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $290.26. 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 market cap of $65.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.46, a PEG ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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). 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 the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.85 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current 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 $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is 104.07%.

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.