Middleton & Co. Inc. MA Cuts Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Middleton & Co. Inc. MA cut its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,953 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 50 shares during the period. Middleton & Co. Inc. MA’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $762,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 151.3% in the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 24,881 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,028,000 after purchasing an additional 14,981 shares in the last quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 67,507 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $16,355,000 after buying an additional 2,321 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 351,506 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $96,242,000 after buying an additional 5,502 shares in the last quarter. Trilogy Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter valued at $2,625,000. Finally, Madison Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC now owns 126,928 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $34,753,000 after acquiring an additional 9,663 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $287.27 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $63.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.93, a P/E/G ratio of 3.70 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $273.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $258.99. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $212.24 and a 1 year high of $301.03.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.16. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 21.24%. The company had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.04 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be given a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.46%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 63.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APD has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, September 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $240.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 5th. Bank of America increased their price objective 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $240.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $297.40.

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.