Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Purchases 6,437 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 29.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 28,589 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,437 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $7,828,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of APD. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 6.9% in the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,180 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $295,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Prudential PLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth approximately $1,010,000. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 5,890 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,472,000 after purchasing an additional 1,075 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.4% during the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 105,875 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $26,459,000 after purchasing an additional 4,470 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 17.1% during the first quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 755 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $188,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 1.6 %

APD stock traded down $3.75 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $235.91. 1,407,441 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,754,695. The company has a market capitalization of $52.44 billion, a PE ratio of 22.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $212.24 and a twelve month high of $307.71. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $235.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $259.91.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.00 by ($0.18). The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.84% and a net margin of 18.82%. Air Products and Chemicals's revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.64 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 28th. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on APD shares. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Argus downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $250.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, TheStreet downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "b" rating to a "c+" rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $276.36.

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.