Slow Capital Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Slow Capital Inc. reduced its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 7,190 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 431 shares during the quarter. Slow Capital Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,085,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,402 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $987,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 44.3% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 23,957 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,948,000 after purchasing an additional 7,353 shares during the period. United Asset Strategies Inc. lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 17,828 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,171,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 34,914 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,127,000 after buying an additional 1,436 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 15.7% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,062 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,209,000 after acquiring an additional 551 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on APD. Vertical Research upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $336.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $330.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $350.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Monday. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Barclays upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $315.00 to $365.00 in a report on Friday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $337.88.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $326.61 on Tuesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $212.24 and a 52-week high of $337.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.01, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.52. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $310.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $297.05.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. 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. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.19%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.21%.

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.