Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Purchased by ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,274 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 2,164 shares during the quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $15,452,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 29,954.1% in the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 2,894,211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $861,722,000 after purchasing an additional 2,884,581 shares during the period. ING Groep NV raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 240.7% in the 3rd quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,023,433 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $304,717,000 after purchasing an additional 723,019 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 318.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 948,723 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $282,473,000 after buying an additional 722,132 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,685.4% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 764,489 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $249,698,000 after buying an additional 721,671 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 29,957.6% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 718,075 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,138,000,000 after buying an additional 715,686 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Evercore ISI raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $305.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $295.00 to $364.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $332.71.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD opened at $317.11 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The firm has a market cap of $70.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.84. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $309.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $294.69. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $212.24 and a 1-year high of $337.00.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.21%.

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.