Fidelis Capital Partners LLC Boosts Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Fidelis Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 42.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,790 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 833 shares during the quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $764,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Dover Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dover Advisors LLC now owns 1,894 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $540,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 1,566 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $444,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 25.9% during the 4th quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 180 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Vestcor Inc lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 5,261 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,622,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Columbia Trust Co 01012016 lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Columbia Trust Co 01012016 now owns 5,502 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,559,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD traded up $1.97 during trading on Friday, reaching $234.99. 180,861 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,725,495. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $212.24 and a 52 week high of $307.71. The stock has a market cap of $52.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.45, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $235.64 and a 200 day moving average of $257.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.00 by ($0.18). Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.84% and a net margin of 18.82%. The business had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.64 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 1st will be issued a $1.77 dividend. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.75. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 28th. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.01%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is 67.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on APD shares. Seaport Res Ptn lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. StockNews.com lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 14th. Argus lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Bank of America raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $264.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, Mizuho cut their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $304.00 to $295.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $276.36.

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.