Silver Oak Securities Incorporated Buys 32 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Silver Oak Securities Incorporated lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,074 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 32 shares during the quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $888,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Geode Capital Management LLC increased 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 last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 2,884,581 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.7% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 2,043,099 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $608,312,000 after buying an additional 33,313 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.9% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,867,290 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $555,967,000 after buying an additional 70,759 shares during the period. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,633,381 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $486,343,000 after buying an additional 19,209 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 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $328.30 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.11, a PEG ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.85. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $310.40 and its 200 day moving average is $300.66. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $213.07 and a 52 week high of $341.14. 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 (NYSE:APD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 31.64% and a return on equity of 16.34%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.18%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $375.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Barclays upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Bank of America cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $323.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Six equities research 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 presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $340.50.

Air Products and Chemicals 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.