Empirical Finance LLC Has $2.20 Million Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Empirical Finance LLC cut its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 7,591 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 81 shares during the quarter. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,202,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of APD. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth $25,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 88.7% in the 3rd quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on APD shares. UBS Group increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Bank of America cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective (down from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $339.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 5.3 %

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $310.66 on Monday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $213.80 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The company has a market capitalization of $69.09 billion, a PE ratio of 18.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.85. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $309.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $301.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.34.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 15.78%. Analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 41.11%.

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.