Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD Shares Acquired by Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 9.2% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,521,469 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 213,340 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $732,461,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3,233.3% in the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 100 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $293.05 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $289.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $286.14. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $229.11 and a 52 week high of $314.87. 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 has a market cap of $65.26 billion, a PE ratio of 31.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.73.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.69 EPS. The company’s quarterly 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. As a group, research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 76.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total transaction of $824,404.64. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on APD shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $342.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, July 10th. UBS Group raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Mizuho set a $345.00 target price on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $360.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $326.88.

Air Products and Chemicals Company Profile

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.