Claro Advisors LLC Grows Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Claro Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 14.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,267 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 401 shares during the period. Claro Advisors LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $791,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 4,330,471 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 5,302,455 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,502,717,000 after purchasing an additional 235,037 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $852,288,000. Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 1,931,619 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $528,877,000 after buying an additional 66,906 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 12.6% in the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,508,625 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $413,078,000 after buying an additional 168,959 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD opened at $247.18 on Tuesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $212.24 and a 52-week high of $307.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $54.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.31, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.81. The business’s 50 day moving average is $259.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $251.71.

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

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 12th. Investors of record on Monday, July 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.90%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on APD shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $276.00 to $294.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. Bank of America upped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $275.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $270.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $287.29.

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.