Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. Sells 126 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. lowered its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 10.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,125 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 126 shares during the period. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $260,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of APD. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 167.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,921,011 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,894,973,000 after purchasing an additional 4,330,471 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $852,288,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,696.4% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 518,197 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $142,344,000 after acquiring an additional 489,350 shares during the last quarter. Scharf Investments LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter valued at about $87,173,000. Finally, Morningstar Investment Services LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 96.4% in the fourth quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 684,057 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $187,589,000 after acquiring an additional 335,717 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $258.05 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $259.73 and its 200 day moving average is $251.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.49 and a quick ratio of 1.31. The firm has a market cap of $57.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.84. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $212.24 and a one year high of $307.71.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $2.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.70 by $0.15. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 20.32%. The firm had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.74 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.3 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 1st will be paid a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.90%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on APD shares. Barclays lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. StockNews.com upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $240.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $270.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $286.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $287.29.

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.