Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) Shares Sold by Crescent Sterling Ltd.

Crescent Sterling Ltd. reduced its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,973 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 126 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for about 2.4% of Crescent Sterling Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Crescent Sterling Ltd.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,312,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its stake in 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 worth $861,722,000 after acquiring an additional 2,884,581 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 127.3% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,792,470 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $720,597,000 after purchasing an additional 1,564,169 shares during the last quarter. ING Groep NV boosted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $304,717,000 after purchasing an additional 723,019 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC grew its position in shares of 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 period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake 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 valued at $249,698,000 after purchasing an additional 721,671 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 2.7 %

NYSE APD opened at $292.88 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $65.13 billion, a PE ratio of 17.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.84. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $309.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $292.76. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $212.24 and a fifty-two week high of $337.00. 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 company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on APD. StockNews.com raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $323.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $295.00 to $364.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $331.53.

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.