Fiduciary Group LLC Boosts Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Fiduciary Group LLC raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 75.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,994 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,710 shares during the quarter. Fiduciary Group LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $3,010,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth $376,000. Eos Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 26.2% during the fourth quarter. Eos Management L.P. now owns 27,558 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $7,545,000 after buying an additional 5,727 shares during the period. Roffman Miller Associates Inc. PA increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Roffman Miller Associates Inc. PA now owns 65,192 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $17,850,000 after buying an additional 2,285 shares during the period. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $1,177,000. Finally, Bellwether Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth $501,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on APD. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $304.00 to $295.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $250.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $279.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $240.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $264.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $276.36.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE APD traded up $1.00 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $236.08. 1,251,373 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,281,333. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $212.24 and a 1 year high of $307.71. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $237.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $255.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $2.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.00 by ($0.18). The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.20 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.84% and a net margin of 18.82%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.64 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.38 earnings per share for the current year.

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.