First National Bank Sioux Falls Increases Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

First National Bank Sioux Falls boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 6.8% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,178 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. First National Bank Sioux Falls’ holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $304,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sachetta LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Security National Bank acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Thompson Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 2,250.0% in the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 141 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on APD. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $275.00 to $312.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Barclays raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $310.00 to $280.00 in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $291.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $297.40.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE APD traded up $1.75 during trading on Friday, hitting $278.85. The stock had a trading volume of 919,017 shares, compared to its average volume of 905,509. The company has a market capitalization of $61.99 billion, a PE ratio of 25.17, a PEG ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.81. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $212.24 and a twelve month high of $307.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $267.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $254.46.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.53% and a net margin of 21.24%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 1st will be given a $1.77 dividend. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.90%.

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.