Central Valley Advisors LLC Increases Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Central Valley Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,373 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 154 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals makes up 1.1% of Central Valley Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Central Valley Advisors LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,897,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Security National Bank bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Thompson Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the second quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:APD traded down $0.08 during trading on Friday, reaching $285.50. 924,756 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,613,907. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $280.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $262.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $212.24 and a 12-month high of $302.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.47 billion, a PE ratio of 25.76, a P/E/G 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. The company had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.04 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 16.53%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.33 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

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 $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.48%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.90%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on APD. Barclays upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective 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. Citigroup lifted 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 note on Friday, July 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $310.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $291.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. One equities research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals 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.