Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Reduces Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH lowered its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 20.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 137,665 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 34,374 shares during the quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $39,928,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of APD. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 374,442 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $111,488,000 after purchasing an additional 139,223 shares during the last quarter. Forsta AP Fonden grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 13.4% during the third quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 45,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $13,607,000 after buying an additional 5,400 shares in the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,269,000. Jensen Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 65.0% during the third quarter. Jensen Investment Management Inc. now owns 13,170 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,921,000 after buying an additional 5,190 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,205.1% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 38,423 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $11,440,000 after acquiring an additional 35,479 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $319.62 on Wednesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $212.24 and a 12-month high of $337.00. The company has a market cap of $71.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.52, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $309.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $295.14.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a dividend of $1.77 per share. This represents a $7.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.21%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APD has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $295.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. UBS Group upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $375.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $308.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $305.00 to $365.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $332.71.

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.