Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD Shares Purchased by Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• Mirae Asset Global Investments increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 22.7% in Q4, buying an additional 7,485 shares to hold 40,511 shares valued at about $10,007,000.
• Director Ridge Lp Mantle sold 70,175 shares (≈$19.94M), cutting their position by 42.87%, though they still hold 93,499 shares.
• Wall Street sentiment is upbeat—Air Products has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $303.94 and several firms raising targets (Wells Fargo to $325); the company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.81 (annualized $7.24, ~2.5% yield).

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 22.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 40,511 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,485 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $10,007,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Thomasville National Bank grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Thomasville National Bank now owns 5,865 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,449,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 1,246 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $308,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 27.0% during the 4th quarter. Nicholson Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 7,162 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,769,000 after purchasing an additional 1,521 shares during the period. United Advisor Group LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 44.6% during the 4th quarter. United Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,391 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $344,000 after purchasing an additional 429 shares during the period. Finally, Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 756 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $187,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on APD. Bank of America raised Air Products and Chemicals from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $275.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $270.00 to $325.00 in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Citigroup increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $303.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Ridge Lp Mantle sold 70,175 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.21, for a total value of $19,944,436.75. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 93,499 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,573,350.79. This trade represents a 42.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.88% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $291.54 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.91 billion, a PE ratio of -193.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.80. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $229.11 and a twelve month high of $301.25. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $285.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $266.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a negative net margin of 2.73% and a positive return on equity of 15.77%. Air Products and Chemicals's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.86 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.100 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 12.850-13.150 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be paid a $1.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is -479.47%.

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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