Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Acquired by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 57.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,210 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 7,716 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $6,255,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Parvin Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $715,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 44.2% in the fourth quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 4,804 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,393,000 after acquiring an additional 1,473 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $267,000. Highview Capital Management LLC DE acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $590,000. Finally, Mantle Ridge LP acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $1,191,344,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on APD. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $355.00 price target for the company. UBS Group lowered their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 price objective for the company. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.41.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.0%

NYSE:APD traded up $0.12 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $280.49. The stock had a trading volume of 889,365 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,425,941. The company has a market capitalization of $62.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.86. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.69 and a 1-year high of $341.14. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $272.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $293.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.83 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion during 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%. Air Products and Chemicals's revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.85 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.