Fidelis Capital Partners LLC Increases Stock 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 - Free Report) by 46.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,080 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 975 shares during the quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $893,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of APD. ING Groep NV increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 240.7% in 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 in the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 318.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 948,723 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $282,473,000 after buying an additional 722,132 shares during the period. Sachem Head Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter valued at $163,013,000. TOMS Capital Investment Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter valued at $159,886,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $71,307,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, insider Wilbur Mok sold 1,300 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.88, for a total transaction of $410,644.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,193 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,008,604.84. This trade represents a 28.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Kurt Lefevere sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $316.17, for a total value of $474,255.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,462 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $462,240.54. This trade represents a 50.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 14,911 shares of company stock valued at $4,660,897. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APD has been the subject of several research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded 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 note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $350.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $320.00 target price (down previously from $345.00) on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $350.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $343.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock traded up $5.57 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $310.92. 1,605,818 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,654,566. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $227.53 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14. The firm's fifty day moving average is $310.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $306.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The company has a market capitalization of $69.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.85.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $2.86 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 1st. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is 41.58%.

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.