Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. Makes New $577,000 Investment in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,956 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $577,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 14.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $945,000 after buying an additional 412 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $246,000. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $12,609,000. VSM Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $120,000. Finally, Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on APD shares. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed 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 for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday. Barclays cut their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 target price for the company. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $331.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD stock opened at $293.66 on Friday. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market cap of $65.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.68, a PEG ratio of 5.54 and a beta of 0.85. The stock's 50-day moving average is $280.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $290.18.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued 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). 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.85 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals's quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 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 2.44%. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is currently 104.07%.

About Air Products and Chemicals

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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