United Asset Strategies Inc. Lowers Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

United Asset Strategies Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 79.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 4,383 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 17,309 shares during the period. United Asset Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,083,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 3,233.3% in the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 100 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter worth about $34,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on APD. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $282.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $308.06.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, Director Ridge Lp Mantle sold 70,175 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.21, for a total transaction of $19,944,436.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 93,499 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,573,350.79. This represents a 42.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 2.3%

APD opened at $303.67 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $286.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $267.71. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $229.11 and a twelve month high of $304.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -201.11, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.80.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.12. Air Products and Chemicals had a negative net margin of 2.73% and a positive return on equity of 15.77%. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.05 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.86 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Air Products and Chemicals has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.100 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 12.850-13.150 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.81 per share. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently -479.47%.

Air Products and Chemicals 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.