Benjamin Edwards Inc. Purchases 90,785 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 7,459.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 92,002 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 90,785 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $27,398,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. TOMS Capital Investment Management LP bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth $159,886,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $992,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $14,921,000. Socorro Asset Management LP increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.6% in the third quarter. Socorro Asset Management LP now owns 27,718 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $8,253,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morton Community Bank raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.3% during the third quarter. Morton Community Bank now owns 9,705 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,890,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on APD. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $291.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. StockNews.com raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Mizuho lifted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $308.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $323.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $331.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.3 %

APD opened at $334.33 on Monday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $212.24 and a twelve month high of $336.42. The company has a fifty day moving average of $315.16 and a 200-day moving average of $286.11. The stock has a market cap of $74.35 billion, a PE ratio of 19.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.12%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 41.21%.

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.