Hilltop National Bank Takes Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Hilltop National Bank bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 807 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $196,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Sachetta LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Security National Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Thompson Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD traded up $3.31 on Friday, hitting $261.31. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,054,735 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,969,229. The company has a market capitalization of $58.09 billion, a PE ratio of 23.59, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.49 and a quick ratio of 1.31. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $212.24 and a fifty-two week high of $307.71. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $263.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $250.78.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $2.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.70 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 20.32%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.74 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 12th. Investors of record on Monday, July 1st will be given a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on APD. Barclays raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $245.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $270.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Mizuho cut their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $286.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $305.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $291.43.

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.