Cetera Trust Company N.A Makes New $35,000 Investment in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Cetera Trust Company N.A purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 128 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Arkadios Wealth Advisors lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 10.4% during the third quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 938 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter valued at $1,673,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 25.5% during the third quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 207 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Cedar Brook Financial Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 7.6% in the third quarter. Cedar Brook Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,020 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $289,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.7% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 20,808 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,940,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $234.37 on Tuesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $212.24 and a 12-month high of $307.71. The stock has a market cap of $52.10 billion, a PE ratio of 22.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The company has a 50-day moving average of $236.12 and a 200 day moving average of $256.79.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.00 by ($0.18). Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 18.82% and a return on equity of 16.84%. The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.64 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be paid a $1.77 dividend. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.02%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is 67.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $245.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $264.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. TheStreet downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $276.36.

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.