Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. Acquires 1,025 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 6.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 16,818 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,025 shares during the period. Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc.'s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $4,960,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $715,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 20.9% during the first quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 1,603 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $473,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares during the period. Mantle Ridge LP bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $1,191,344,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $246,000. Finally, Allstate Corp bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,917,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.7%

APD traded down $1.98 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $292.13. 1,042,263 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,360,700. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.00. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $243.69 and a one year high of $341.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.46, a PEG ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 0.85. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $278.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $290.29.

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 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 15.48% and a net margin of 12.76%. Air Products and Chemicals's revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.85 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is 104.07%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on APD. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $355.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.12.

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.