Valmark Advisers Inc. Raises Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Valmark Advisers Inc. raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 3.1% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,139 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 93 shares during the quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $810,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sachetta LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Security National Bank bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Thompson Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Clear Investment Research LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 700.0% in the 4th quarter. Clear Investment Research LLC now owns 128 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $278.85 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.27. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $212.24 and a 52-week high of $307.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.17, a P/E/G ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.81. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $267.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $255.09.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $2.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is 63.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on APD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $291.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. StockNews.com raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $323.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $297.40.

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.