Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD Stock Position Increased by Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 42.3% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 16,069 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 4,779 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $4,668,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,063,906,000. Capital International Investors lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 44.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,792,580 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,160,023,000 after purchasing an additional 3,922,567 shares during the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the second quarter worth approximately $607,601,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 70.2% during the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,694,659 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $665,609,000 after buying an additional 1,111,378 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 644.6% in the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,031,306 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $281,258,000 after buying an additional 892,793 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total value of $824,404.64. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,317,037.12. This represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.88% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 price objective on Air Products and Chemicals and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $360.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Weiss Ratings raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD opened at $277.95 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $61.89 billion, a PE ratio of 29.41, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.43. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $289.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $277.75. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $229.11 and a 52 week high of $307.96.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.06 by $0.14. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 16.11%. The company had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.69 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Air Products and Chemicals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.250 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.250-3.350 EPS. Research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be paid a $1.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 76.61%.

About Air Products and Chemicals

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc is a global supplier of industrial gases and related equipment and services, headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The company produces and delivers atmospheric gases such as oxygen, nitrogen and argon, as well as specialty and process gases used across a wide range of industrial applications. Air Products designs, builds and operates gas production facilities, merchant distribution networks and on-site gas systems for customers that require reliable, high-purity gases and integrated supply solutions.

The company’s product and service portfolio includes packaged and bulk gas supply, pipeline distribution, on-site generation, gas handling and storage equipment, and engineered systems for gas liquefaction and purification.