Fiduciary Group LLC Acquires 133 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Fiduciary Group LLC lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,285 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 133 shares during the quarter. Fiduciary Group LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $3,328,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of APD. Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 833.3% during the first quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 112 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 525.9% in the 4th quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at $51,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:APD traded up $1.28 on Wednesday, hitting $286.75. The company had a trading volume of 24,623 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,374,108. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The company has a market cap of $63.81 billion, a PE ratio of 41.79, a PEG ratio of 5.41 and a beta of 0.85. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.69 and a 52-week high of $341.14. The business has a 50 day moving average of $275.37 and a 200 day moving average of $290.53.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.83 by ($0.14). The business had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 12.76% and a return on equity of 15.48%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.85 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 104.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on APD shares. Bank of America downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $330.00 to $282.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Barclays cut their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price target for the company. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $290.00 price objective on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $330.94.

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.