Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Acquired by Archer Investment Corp

Archer Investment Corp increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1,607.1% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 478 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the period. Archer Investment Corp’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $123,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Sachetta LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Security National Bank purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Thompson Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 2,250.0% in the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 141 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APD has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $240.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $291.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note 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 given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $297.40.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE APD opened at $274.72 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $267.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $255.57. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $212.24 and a 52 week high of $307.71. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market cap of $61.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.79, a PEG ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.16. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 16.53%. The business had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.04 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be issued a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.58%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.90%.

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.