38,018 Shares in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD Bought by Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A.

Key Points

• Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. initiated a new position in Air Products and Chemicals, buying 38,018 shares valued at about $9.39 million in the fourth quarter.
• Institutional interest in APD remains strong, with hedge funds and other institutional investors owning 81.66% of the company. Several firms increased their stakes recently, including ProShare Advisors and Handelsbanken Fonder.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on the stock: APD has a Moderate Buy consensus rating and an average price target of $323.12, while the company also beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations in its latest report.

Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 38,018 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $9,391,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 89,517 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $22,112,000 after purchasing an additional 5,061 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 670,374 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $165,596,000 after purchasing an additional 65,999 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 5,631 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,391,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC now owns 6,416 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,585,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Spectrum Strategic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $495,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $338.00 to $341.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $360.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Mizuho set a $345.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $323.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total transaction of $824,404.64. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.88% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.6%

APD stock opened at $291.65 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.77. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $293.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $272.57. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $229.11 and a 52 week high of $307.96.

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

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

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

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.

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