155,167 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD Shares Purchased by Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.

Key Points

• Ferguson Wellman Capital Management increased its Air Products and Chemicals stake by 155,167 shares, or 5,835.5%, during the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 157,826 shares valued at approximately $43 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high at 81.66%, with several other investment firms also expanding their positions in APD during the quarter.
• Air Products and Chemicals reported quarterly EPS of $3.47, ahead of estimates, and maintains a quarterly dividend of $1.81, equivalent to a 2.6% annualized yield. Analysts give the stock a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with a $334.69 price target.

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 5,835.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 157,826 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 155,167 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. owned about 0.07% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $42,964,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,807,000. Rockland Trust Co. boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 67,572 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $18,801,000 after buying an additional 2,250 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 267.6% in the third quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 77,419 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $21,196,000 after acquiring an additional 56,359 shares during the period. Planning Strategies Inc. increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 10.7% during the third quarter. Planning Strategies Inc. now owns 393 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $109,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 277.2% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 5,216 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,427,000 after acquiring an additional 3,833 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

NYSE:APD traded up $3.96 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $281.54. 232,947 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,287,494. The company has a market cap of $62.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1,280.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.76. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $229.11 and a 1 year high of $314.87. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $295.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $293.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $3.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.09 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter 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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be given a $1.81 dividend. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is presently -3,290.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on APD shares. KeyCorp started coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. They issued a "sector weight" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $320.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $358.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $316.00 to $329.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $334.69.

Air Products and Chemicals Company Profile

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc is a global industrial gases and related equipment company headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The company supplies atmospheric gases such as oxygen, nitrogen and argon, as well as process and specialty gases including hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide and syngas.

Air Products serves customers in a range of industries, including refining, chemicals, metals, electronics, manufacturing, food and beverage, healthcare and energy. Its offerings include gases delivered through pipelines, bulk and packaged distribution, and on-site production systems, along with gas-processing equipment and technologies used in applications such as hydrogen production, natural gas liquefaction and carbon capture.

Founded in 1940, Air Products operates across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and other international markets.

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