Woodstock Corp Increases Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Woodstock Corp boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,976 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,387 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals makes up 1.1% of Woodstock Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Woodstock Corp’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $11,605,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Syon Capital LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 2,851 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $781,000 after buying an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% in the 4th quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,627 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,541,000 after buying an additional 1,616 shares during the last quarter. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $1,525,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on APD. StockNews.com raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $295.00 to $364.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $276.00 to $281.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Vertical Research upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $336.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, October 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $316.47.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $316.66 on Monday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $212.24 and a 1 year high of $323.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The company has a 50-day moving average of $284.78 and a 200 day moving average of $265.90. The firm has a market cap of $70.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.58, a PEG ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.82.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 21.24%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be paid a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. 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.