Cornell Pochily Investment Advisors Inc. Has $1.23 Million Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Cornell Pochily Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,165 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Cornell Pochily Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,228,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of APD. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% in the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 33.3% in the fourth quarter. Financial Perspectives Inc now owns 140 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $44,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on APD shares. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $290.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $373.00 to $345.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $332.41.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 1.2%

APD stock opened at $280.02 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.69 and a 12 month high of $341.14. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $271.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $294.16.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by ($0.14). The company had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. The firm’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.85 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.56%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 104.07%.

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.