Wellington Management Group LLP Raises Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Wellington Management Group LLP significantly increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, owning 40,977 shares worth approximately $12.1 million after a 367% increase in the first quarter.
• Multiple institutional investors, including Bank of America Corp DE and Principal Financial Group Inc., have also boosted their stakes, bringing institutional ownership to about 81.66% of the stock.
• Air Products and Chemicals recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.79 per share, with an annual yield of 2.4%, despite a payout ratio of over 103%.

Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 367.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 40,977 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 32,202 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $12,085,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 833.3% in the 1st quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 112 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 525.9% in 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 last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 3,560.0% in 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $355.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $335.07.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:APD traded down $0.82 during trading on Monday, reaching $294.20. 510,794 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 793,004. 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 business's fifty day simple moving average is $290.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $285.76. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.69 and a 12-month high of $341.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.47 billion, a PE ratio of 42.33, a P/E/G ratio of 6.56 and a beta of 0.82.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $3.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 12.86% and a return on equity of 15.11%. Air Products and Chemicals's revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.20 earnings per share. 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. On average, research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.