Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD Shares Bought by Founders Financial Securities LLC

Key Points

• Founders Financial Securities LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 151.1% in the fourth quarter, ending with 10,272 shares valued at about $2.54 million.
• Air Products and Chemicals reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.20 beating estimates and revenue rising 8.8% year over year to $3.17 billion.
• Analysts remain generally positive, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $323.12, while the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share.

Founders Financial Securities LLC raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 151.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,272 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 6,181 shares during the period. Founders Financial Securities LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,537,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3,233.3% during the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 100 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth about $30,000. 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, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total value of $824,404.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 14,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.88% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Weiss Ratings raised Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $338.00 to $341.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Mizuho set a $345.00 price objective on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $323.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE APD opened at $278.37 on Monday. 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. The business's 50-day moving average price is $294.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $274.78. The firm has a market cap of $61.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.74.

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

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 76.61%.

Air Products and Chemicals 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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