Certified Advisory Corp Purchases 792 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Certified Advisory Corp raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 15.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,888 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 792 shares during the period. Certified Advisory Corp’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,519,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Security National Bank purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Thompson Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Clear Investment Research LLC raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 700.0% during the 4th quarter. Clear Investment Research LLC now owns 128 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $291.99 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.27. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $274.87 and a 200 day moving average of $260.12. The firm has a market cap of $64.91 billion, a PE ratio of 26.35, a PEG ratio of 3.70 and a beta of 0.82. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $212.24 and a one year high of $296.00.

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

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.42%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 63.90%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APD has been the subject of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $291.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $323.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $297.40.

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.