Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Acquired by Regents Gate Capital LLP

Regents Gate Capital LLP lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 142.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,559 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,674 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for approximately 2.7% of Regents Gate Capital LLP's holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position. Regents Gate Capital LLP's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $6,358,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 1,540 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $447,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Cyrus J. Lawrence LLC now owns 3,597 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,043,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. CFO4Life Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 1,022 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $297,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. West Branch Capital LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 10.2% in the 1st quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 421 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $124,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.6% during the first quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,499 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $737,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE APD traded up $1.43 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $293.78. The stock had a trading volume of 1,040,416 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,368,423. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.70, a P/E/G ratio of 5.55 and a beta of 0.85. 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 50 day simple moving average of $277.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $290.26.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its 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). The company had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.48% and a net margin of 12.76%. The business's revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.85 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is currently 104.07%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on APD. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $355.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on 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 downgraded 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 research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $332.12.

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.