Burney Co. Acquires 6,879 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Burney Co. increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 355.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 8,813 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,879 shares during the quarter. Burney Co.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,556,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 29,954.1% in the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 2,894,211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $861,722,000 after acquiring an additional 2,884,581 shares during the period. ING Groep NV boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 240.7% during the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,023,433 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $304,717,000 after purchasing an additional 723,019 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 318.7% in the third quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 948,723 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $282,473,000 after purchasing an additional 722,132 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,685.4% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 764,489 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $249,698,000 after purchasing an additional 721,671 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 29,957.6% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 718,075 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,138,000,000 after buying an additional 715,686 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on APD. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $308.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $330.00 to $350.00 in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup upped their price target on 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. StockNews.com raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, UBS Group raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $332.71.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $307.07 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $309.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $293.39. The stock has a market cap of $68.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.87, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.84. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $212.24 and a 12 month high of $337.00.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $1.77 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.21%.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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.