Fiduciary Group LLC Has $3.24 Million Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Fiduciary Group LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 11,152 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 111 shares during the period. Fiduciary Group LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $3,235,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 69.4% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 3,233 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.32, for a total value of $993,565.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,680 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,282,177.60. This trade represents a 23.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total value of $181,706.50. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $221,811.50. This trade represents a 45.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,500 shares of company stock worth $4,842,604. 0.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. BNP Paribas raised Air Products and Chemicals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $375.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group decreased their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $395.00 to $370.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Barclays raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $342.65.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.9 %

APD stock opened at $294.43 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $65.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $313.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $308.24. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $227.53 and a 1-year high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.13 by ($0.27). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. Analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.58%.

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.