Korea Investment CORP Buys 21,960 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Korea Investment CORP lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 35.4% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 83,954 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 21,960 shares during the quarter. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $24,614,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,304,678 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,509,702,000 after purchasing an additional 303,944 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 2nd quarter worth $5,370,093,000. Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 3,922,567 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 11,904,537 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,940,665,000 after acquiring an additional 137,595 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,911,504 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,448,340,000 after acquiring an additional 352,012 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE APD opened at $305.55 on Monday. 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 50 day moving average price of $295.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $290.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The firm has a market cap of $68.04 billion, a PE ratio of -1,388.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.73.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.34 by $0.13. Air Products and Chemicals had a negative net margin of 0.38% and a positive return on equity of 16.87%. The company had revenue of $3.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.09 earnings per share. Air Products and Chemicals’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Air Products and Chemicals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.390-13.490 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.550-3.650 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.81 per share. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is -3,290.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on APD shares. Morgan Stanley set a $320.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, August 3rd. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $330.00 to $336.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $373.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $320.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $358.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. One 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $332.76.

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.