Vision Capital Management Inc. Invests $376,000 in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Vision Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,275 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $376,000.

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

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE APD traded down $1.98 on Friday, reaching $292.13. The stock had a trading volume of 1,042,263 shares, 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 12-month low of $243.69 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The business's 50-day moving average price is $278.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $290.26. The stock has a market cap of $65.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 0.85.

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. As a group, equities analysts expect 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, August 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis 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 currently 104.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APD has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $355.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays decreased 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. Two investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.