17 Capital Partners LLC Acquires Shares of 4,186 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• 17 Capital Partners LLC made a new investment of approximately $1.24 million in Air Products and Chemicals, acquiring 4,186 shares in the 1st quarter.
• Air Products and Chemicals is currently experiencing significant hedge fund activity, with 81.66% of its stock owned by institutional investors.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.79, with a dividend payout ratio of 103.02%, indicating a steady commitment to returning value to shareholders.

17 Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 4,186 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,235,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 833.3% during the 1st quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 112 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 525.9% during the 4th quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3,560.0% during the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 183 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total transaction of $397,344.42. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 8,686 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,539,612.68. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD stock traded up $5.60 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $299.12. The company had a trading volume of 334,536 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,297,204. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $288.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $287.21. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.69 and a 52-week high of $341.14. The company has a market capitalization of $66.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.05, a P/E/G ratio of 6.52 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.10. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 12.86% and a return on equity of 15.11%. The company had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.20 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Air Products and Chemicals has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.900-12.100 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 3.270-3.470 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 103.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on APD. Wall Street Zen upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $355.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $335.07.

Air Products and Chemicals Profile

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc provides atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, equipment, and related services in the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, India, and internationally. The company produces atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, and argon; process gases, such as hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and syngas; and specialty gases for customers in various industries, including refining, chemical, manufacturing, electronics, energy production, medical, food, and metals.