Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Acquired by Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group

Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 14.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,613 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 694 shares during the period. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,448,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Security National Bank acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Thompson Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 2,250.0% during the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 141 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

NYSE:APD opened at $291.42 on Wednesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $212.24 and a 52 week high of $302.03. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $279.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $262.29. The company has a market capitalization of $64.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.30, a P/E/G ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.04 billion. Equities analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.33 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be issued a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on APD. Citigroup raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $240.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $291.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $296.50.

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.