Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD Shares Purchased by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Key Points

• Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its Air Products and Chemicals stake by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 89,517 shares valued at about $22.1 million.
• Air Products and Chemicals reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.20 beating estimates and revenue of $3.17 billion topping expectations; revenue also rose 8.8% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share and received mostly positive analyst coverage, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.12.

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 89,517 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,061 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $22,112,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 3,233.3% in the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 100 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total transaction of $824,404.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,317,037.12. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.88% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $288.95 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $64.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The business has a 50-day moving average of $293.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $272.88. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $229.11 and a 1 year high of $307.96.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The company had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 16.91%.Air Products and Chemicals's revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.69 EPS. 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, analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on APD. Citigroup lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st. Bank of America lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $323.12.

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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