Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC Purchases 63 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 5.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,296 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $376,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. CX Institutional increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 1,343 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $400,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 11,593 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,452,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Stockton increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Stockton now owns 1,813 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $540,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 22.3% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 203 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chesapeake Wealth Management boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 2,189 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $652,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.1 %

APD stock opened at $335.36 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.52 and a quick ratio of 1.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.52, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.84. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $310.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $298.46. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $212.24 and a fifty-two week high of $338.00.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.14%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $330.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $295.00 to $364.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Vertical Research raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $336.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, October 7th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $340.50.

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.