Cetera Investment Advisers Increases Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 165,549 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 3,786 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers owned about 0.07% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $48,090,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 318.2% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 92 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Main Street Group LTD bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3,233.3% during the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 100 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD stock opened at $298.57 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $289.26 and a 200 day moving average of $285.45. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $229.11 and a 52 week high of $314.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.59, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $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 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 1st will be paid a $1.81 dividend. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were 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 directly owned 14,212 shares in the company, valued at $4,317,037.12. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.88% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup increased their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $342.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 price objective on Air Products and Chemicals and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $326.88.

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.