Cerity Partners LLC Acquires 7,837 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 140,527 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,837 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $41,840,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.3% during the third quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 11,593 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,452,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,343 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $400,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Stockton grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 1,813 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $540,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 3,740 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $906,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 203 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. 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. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $295.00 to $364.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $331.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.9 %

APD opened at $331.83 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $310.63 and a 200 day moving average of $282.91. The company has a market cap of $73.77 billion, a PE ratio of 19.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.81. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $212.24 and a 12 month high of $332.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.13%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.21%.

About Air Products and Chemicals

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.