Advisors Asset Management Inc. Sells 9,427 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Advisors Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 15.6%, owning 50,992 shares valued at approximately $15 million after selling 9,427 shares in the first quarter.
• Air Products and Chemicals has recently received mixed analyst ratings, with Mizuho raising the price target from $310 to $325 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" at an average target price of $335.07.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.79 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.5% and a payout ratio of 103.02%.

Advisors Asset Management Inc. trimmed its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 15.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 50,992 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 9,427 shares during the quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $15,039,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 833.3% in the first 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 during the last quarter. Finally, 1248 Management LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Air Products and Chemicals 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $355.00 target price for the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on 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 assumed coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $335.07.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:APD traded down $0.27 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $289.70. 544,532 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 752,737. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.69 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $291.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $285.09. The firm has a market cap of $64.47 billion, a PE ratio of 41.68, a P/E/G ratio of 6.47 and a beta of 0.82.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.10. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 12.86%.The firm had revenue of $3.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.20 EPS. The business's revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. 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. As a group, sell-side 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 given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is 103.02%.

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.