Slow Capital Inc. Has $1.69 Million Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Slow Capital Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 14.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,138 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 758 shares during the quarter. Slow Capital Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,688,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter worth approximately $376,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,177,000. Bellwether Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $501,000. Zenyatta Capital Management LP grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 46.7% during the fourth quarter. Zenyatta Capital Management LP now owns 22,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,024,000 after purchasing an additional 7,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 37.6% in the fourth quarter. Bristol John W & Co. Inc. NY now owns 388,474 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $106,364,000 after purchasing an additional 106,054 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on APD shares. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. TheStreet downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Monday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $270.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Barclays lowered their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $245.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $276.36.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $229.08 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.58. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $235.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $257.98. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $212.24 and a fifty-two week high of $307.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.00 by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 18.82% and a return on equity of 16.84%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.64 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be paid a $1.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $7.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.09%. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 67.56%.

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.