Raleigh Capital Management Inc. Purchases 43 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 69.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Raleigh Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $30,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in APD. 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 worth $861,722,000 after acquiring an additional 2,884,581 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 240.7% in the third 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 lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 318.7% in the third quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 948,723 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $282,473,000 after purchasing an additional 722,132 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,685.4% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 764,489 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $249,698,000 after purchasing an additional 721,671 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 29,957.6% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 718,075 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,138,000,000 after purchasing an additional 715,686 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on APD shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $295.00 to $364.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. UBS Group upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, November 18th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $323.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Citigroup raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $330.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $335.65.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD opened at $329.29 on Friday. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $309.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $295.96. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $212.24 and a 1 year high of $337.00. The company has a market capitalization of $73.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.17, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.84.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. 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 yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.21%.

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.