Morningstar Investment Management LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Morningstar Investment Management LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 13.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 16,124 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,882 shares during the period. Morningstar Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $3,983,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in APD. Viking Global Investors LP purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the second quarter valued at $607,601,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in shares of 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 valued at $281,258,000 after buying an additional 892,793 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 21.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,616,305 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,258,678,000 after buying an additional 821,524 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,870,013 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,419,029,000 after purchasing an additional 609,489 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 31.2% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,880,652 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $512,891,000 after purchasing an additional 447,724 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.1%

APD opened at $289.13 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.77. The business has a 50-day moving average of $294.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $273.56. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $229.11 and a 12 month high of $307.96.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.07 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 16.91%.The firm’s revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.69 EPS. 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. On average, research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be issued a $1.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 76.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on APD. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $338.00 to $341.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Mizuho set a $345.00 price objective on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of Air Products and Chemicals 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 14,212 shares in the company, valued at $4,317,037.12. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.88% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.