Invesco LLC Grows Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Invesco LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 8.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,741 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Invesco LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $505,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 29,954.1% in the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 2,894,211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $861,722,000 after purchasing an additional 2,884,581 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 240.7% during the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,023,433 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $304,717,000 after buying an additional 723,019 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 318.7% during the third quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 948,723 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $282,473,000 after buying an additional 722,132 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,685.4% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 764,489 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $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% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 718,075 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,138,000,000 after acquiring an additional 715,686 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of APD traded down $0.77 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $326.23. The company had a trading volume of 81,753 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,692,845. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $310.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $298.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.52. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $212.24 and a 1 year high of $337.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.01, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.84.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.19%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Redburn Atlantic raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Evercore ISI upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $305.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Bank of America lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $338.47.

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.