Hall Laurie J Trustee Lowers Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Hall Laurie J Trustee trimmed its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,025 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. Hall Laurie J Trustee’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,617,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,874,347 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,448,570,000 after purchasing an additional 88,806 shares during the period. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.2% during the second quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 3,062,859 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $790,371,000 after buying an additional 122,676 shares in the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 29,954.1% during 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 buying an additional 2,884,581 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.7% in the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 2,043,099 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $608,312,000 after buying an additional 33,313 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 25.2% during the 2nd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,936,582 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $499,735,000 after acquiring an additional 389,380 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 1.6 %

APD opened at $317.11 on Monday. 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 50 day moving average price of $309.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $294.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.52. The company has a market cap of $70.52 billion, a PE ratio of 18.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.84.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend 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%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $305.00 to $365.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Barclays lifted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $330.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Vertical Research raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $336.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $332.71.

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.