Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Acquired by Czech National Bank

Czech National Bank raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 6.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 45,287 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,925 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $13,484,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Security National Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Thompson Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth $27,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the second quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 2,250.0% during the first 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on APD. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $275.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $240.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. 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 stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $296.50.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.0 %

APD stock traded down $0.08 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $285.50. 924,756 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,613,907. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.27. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $212.24 and a 1-year high of $302.03. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $280.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $262.92. The company has a market cap of $63.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.82.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.04 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.48%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 63.90%.

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.