Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Bought by GAMMA Investing LLC

GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 13.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,924 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 455 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,138,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 33.2% in the 2nd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 1,461 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $377,000 after buying an additional 364 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 18.5% during the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,765 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $455,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares during the period. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.4% during the second quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 1,897 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $489,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 64,446 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $16,630,000 after purchasing an additional 674 shares during the period. Finally, Jensen Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,059,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on APD shares. Redburn Atlantic raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Vertical Research raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $336.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $305.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $331.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

NYSE:APD opened at $283.91 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $212.24 and a 12-month high of $337.00. The firm has a market cap of $63.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.81. The company’s 50-day moving average is $312.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $291.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 41.21%.

Air Products and Chemicals 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.